The Devil's Bleached Tears
by ContraBardus
Summary: Ichigo seals away a Hollow and opens the gates of Hell. The Hollow is taken away, but something comes out that will change his life forever, and really annoy him.
1. Chapter 1

Grrr...must...resist...another stupid idea...no time to....but...too...damn...funny...

Damn it. _ Curse you brain!

Today, Carrotglace learns that he should stop feeding his brain with new manga.

The Devil's Bleached Tears

Part 1

The road to hell.

OooOOooOO

My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. As long as I can remember, I've been able to see ghosts, dead people. To the point that when I was younger, I couldn't tell the difference between them and the living.

I was living with my beardo dad, and my two sisters. Life wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.

Then, she showed up.

Rukia, a Shinigami.

Something attacked my family, tried to kill me. It was called a Hollow, a monster, a human soul that had been corrupted, lost it's heart. She did something to me, tried to give me some of her power to fight it.

It got into me, and it went...wrong.

I ended up with all of her powers. She ended up living in my closet, powerless, and forced me to do her damn job. It annoying, but a temporary thing, until she got her powers back.

I suppose I did owe her.

I thought my life had turned upside down. Sooner or later, my life would go back to normal. She'd get her powers back, and I would get to go back to my usual routine.

Boy, was that ever wrong. Big time.

I had been doing all right. I thought I was starting to get the hang of things. Then, I got kicked in the balls by reality again.

It all started, when I ended up killing a Hollow. I'd seen a few of them go before, even performed a few soul burials. This one was different, I'd never seen one like it before.

It had been using a possessed parakeet to lure souls and Shinigami. My buddy Chad, he'd ended up with it. He's a tough guy, and he handled himself pretty well. We saved the kid inside the bird, killed the Hollow, and...the gates appeared.

That was when...he...showed up.

I didn't know it at the time, but from the moment I set eyes on him, my old life was doomed forever.

OooOOooOO

Ichigo swallowed as he gripped the soul sword and put it up in front of him. A door had appeared in front of the vanquished Hollow's spirit. It had skeletons carved into it, and a bad aura. "What is that?"

Rukia spoke up as she watched with an unnerving calm. "It's Hell."

The blond boy looked on in wide eyed horror as the gates opened up. A huge dead looking hand with tattoos etched onto its pale skin reached out and stabbed the spirit with a giant knife as the weakened Shinigami explained. "The soul sword has the power to cleanse sins. However, not every soul is destined for the Soul Society. The sword only has the power to cleanse the sins committed by the spirit as a Hollow. The sins committed by the soul while it lives, still weigh down on it."

The soul was dragged into the gates on the end of the blade. The hand vanished into the flames within. The heavy doors remained open.

The girl's voice caught his attention. "What?" Ichigo blinked as he looked over his shoulder at Rukia. Her eyes were a little confused. "It's still..."

The two of them jumped together as someone sailed out of the gates head first. He landed on his face, rolling over himself a few times as he tumbled across the pavement. A horrible and deep voice called out from the gates. "...And stay out!"

Rukia and Ichigo looked on as the figure staggered to his feet. He was wearing a black and gray mask, had a hood over his head, and a long black coat hanging from his shoulders. He staggered for a moment, shook his head, and turned to face the door shaking his fist at it. "You bitch! Fine! See if I care!"

Rukia started first as she looked on in confusion. "What the..."

Ichigo finished. "...Hell?"

The strange man was dusting off his sleeves and tugged on his coat to straighten it up a bit. "I didn't want to hang around there anyway. Fucking boring. Still...that cunt."

The dark haired girl and blond guy standing next to him were standing there staring at him. The boy spoke up. "Hey. Who the...?" He clenched his weapon and tensed his body.

Rukia spoke. "Ichigo, stop."

The stranger turned towards them. Half his mask was gray, the other black. There were no markings on it, and two eye holes cut into it. "What? What the hell are you two staring at?" His eyes were glowing red, but they faded after a moment leaving the eye holes of the mask dark.

The blond looked confused. "Huh? But...that guy..."

The dark haired girl stepped towards him. "Who are you? What's your business here?"

The strange figure just looked at her. A large well tanned boy was standing behind her with a bird cage in his hand. He arched his back and turned away. "Vacation. Mind your own business, Shinigami."

"What a strange person." Chad just looked on.

Rukia and Ichigo both looked at him with wide eyes.

The blond gagged on his own gasping for a moment. "He can...see him?"

The girl clenched her fist and frowned. "He's...you can see him?"

Chad looked at her and blinked in surprise. "Huh? Yes. Why?"

The figure popped his shoulder. "I'm guessing she thought I was some kind of spirit. I'm no Hollow, and I'm not a spirit. So, I'm not any of your concern Shinigami. Put that stupid sword away." He glanced at Ichigo as he said it.

The blond was enraged. "What? You just came out of Hell and...?" He gasped, Rukia was in front of him with her arms spread.

"Do as he says. He's right." She was giving the stranger a cautious looking frown. "Who are you?"

The stranger chuckled. "Why? What does it matter? I'm of no concern to the Soul Society. Nice body by the way, custom made? Doesn't look like any I've seen before."

Rukia growled.

Chad scratched his head. "What a strange thing to say."

The girl shook her fist at the stranger. "Shut up!"

Ichigo lowered the sword, but didn't put it away. "You just got thrown out of Hell. Why wouldn't I be worried about that?"

The stranger cocked his head. "Well, I guess you've got a point. Heh. I don't really have to explain anything to you though."

Rukia ignored him as Chad set the cage down. She focused on the bird for a few moments. "The chain of fate was disconnected. It's impossible for you to return to your body anymore."

The bird shuddered. "N-no way!"

Ichigo looked sullen. "Sorry, kid."

Chad hung his head as well. "Shibata..."

The girl seemed to cheer up a little. "Don't worry. The Soul Society is a place where you've got nothing to be afraid of! Such as never being hungry, and your body feels light! It's nine out of ten times better than this world!"

"Yeah. You'll definitely have more fun than the other side of that gate."

The group looked on to find the stranger looking on over Rukia's shoulder.

He looked about. "What?"

Ichigo growled. "What are you still doing here?"

The figure shrugged. "Well, I've got to admit, this is an interesting scene. I mean, a possessed bird, a Shinigami, an injured Shinigami, and this guy. Well, you've got no room to be calling me abnormal buddy." He looked up at Chad.

Rukia glowered at him. "Are you kidding? I've never seen anyone get kicked out of Hell before! Get lost you weirdo! This is private business!"

The man turned his mask towards her. "Yeah. Well screw you, you're in public. Your private business is invading my public."

Chad looked surprised. "Hell?"

Ichigo kicked at the man's head, but found his ankle between his fingers. The figure flipped his wrist and the blond Shinigami was on his back. "Cut it out. Jeeze. Hell was fun and all, but...this is a weird scene."

The blond stood up and held his sword over his head. "You!"

The figure looked at him and pointed at the cage. "Look, you're weirding the kid out. Besides, if you attack me, you'll get in trouble, Shinigami. I'm outside your jurisdiction. Lay off."

Rukia stared at him. "He's weirding him out?"

Ichigo growled and stewed for a moment and looked at the quivering bird. "At least, if you go to the other world, you'll be able to see your Mom again." He smiled at it. "Its not possible to return to life here, but at least if you go there, your Mom really will be waiting on you."

The masked figure turned to look at him. "No she won't. You liar."

Ichigo spun around. "What?"

The stranger was leaning against the wall. "You're a Shinigami, you should know better. It's very rare for anyone to actually meet family from this world in the next life. You shouldn't lie like that. Sorry kid." He raised three fingers. "You've pretty much got three choices here. You can go to the Soul Society." He lowered one of his fingers. "You can go to Hell." He lowered another and kept the middle one pointing at Ichigo. "...or you can stay here, and turn into one of those monsters." He crossed his arms and looked at the cage. "It's not that much better than here I've heard. The Shinigami are kind of jerks for the most part, but they tend to ignore the souls outside their walls. You'll be safe, and most everyone there are pretty nice. The jerks end up where I just came from. I had fun, but you probably wouldn't like it much. I suggest you listen to the Shinigami. Even if they are stuck up inconsiderate blow hards."

Ichigo was struggling between laughing at the angry Rukia, and punching the guy in the face. In the end, he ended up doing both.

The stranger left a crater in the wall with the back of his head, and Rukia glowered at the invisible spirit boy as he pointed and laughed. "Gee! He knows you pretty well!"

Ichigo was bent over her fist a moment later.

The stranger stood up, shook his head and turned away. "Well, you guys are fun. I'll be seeing you around, Ichigo. You too um...Rudiko, or whatever." He walked down the road and waved his hand as he left.

Rukia glowered at him, Ichigo frowned and crossed his arms. "What an asshole." They both said at the same time.

Chad was confused, and the bird with him.

OooOOooOO

Rukia stood in the Urahara Shop looking over what she'd just bought. It was a shady looking place, but it was clean, and didn't look very worn. The owner was sitting across from her in loose clothes, and a striped hat with a shaggy light colored mop of hair. She unwrapped a package she'd ordered. "This was the only one available huh?"

The young girl Ururu was standing with the boy Jinta, and the overbearing man Tessai around the scene going about keeping the shop up as Rukia talked with the manager.

The man chuckled. "Please don't say that. That one is the second most popular, so it was difficult to get."

The girl nodded. "I understand." She started to turn away, but paused. "Urahara..."

The man glanced up at her from his calculator. "Huh?"

Rukia hesitated for a moment. "I saw something very strange yesterday. I wanted to ask you about it." She looked away and clenched her fist. "Have you ever heard...about anyone getting...kicked out of hell?"

The man looked confused and furrowed his eyebrow. "No. That's impossible. There's no way the demons would ever let anything out of there."

Rukia glanced over her shoulder at him. "That's not true. Yesterday...I saw it with my own eyes."

The manager of the store just sat there looking at her. "Huh?"

The dark haired girl turned away, not realizing that everyone was looking at her with wide eyes and slacked jaws. "So...you don't know anything then?"

Urahara was staggering to his feet. "Kicked out of...?" He narrowed his eyes. "I doubt that, if someone came out of that gate, they weren't thrown out."

Rukia walked out of the store and left them sitting there. Everyone in the shop was looking at the manager and stayed silent.

OooOOooOO

"Here."

Ichigo caught the small Pez dispenser and looked confused. "Huh? You were gone this morning so you could buy this?" He'd just been dragged out of his classroom by force and was standing outside on a small balcony overlooking the school grounds.

Rukia nodded. "Yep. Because of what happened earlier." She put her finger up. "Listen, if you take one, a temporary soul can enter your body and take over for you while you perform your duties."

Ichigo gave her a sour frown. "My duties?" He didn't say it out loud. "Gikongan?"

The girl nodded. "Right, push the duck's head and a pill comes out."

The blond frowned. "It says 'Soul Candy'."

His companion gave a small sigh. "Right. The Shinigami Women's Association complained that the name wasn't cute enough, so they changed it years ago."

"But...why is it a duck?"

She shouted at him and got miffed. "Shut up! I couldn't pick! I wanted the 'Chappy Bunny'!"

Ichiko was having a bit of trouble keeping his giggles contained. "Oh. You wanted...the bunny?"

Rukia turned red. "Shut up! Are you insulting me you bastard!? Just try one and you'll understand soon enough!" She had her foot on the top of his head and forced him to bow a moment later.

He pressed the duck's head and a pill came out. After swallowing it, he found himself standing next to himself.

The body turned to look at them and smiled. "Pleased to meet you! I am Ichigo Kurosaki! My favorite phrase is 'early to bed, early to rise'!"

Ichigo was horrified. "What is this? Some kind of sick joke? This isn't cool!"

Of course, at that moment, Rukia's phone rang. "An order! Great! Come on, let's leave it to him!"

Kurosaki found himself being dragged away. "Hey 'me' get over to my next class!"

His body waved back. "Leave it to me, Mr. Master!...Take your time." His face turned into a smirk. "Heh."

He started to turn away, but found himself in front of a black clad man in a mask and hood. "Well, hello there."

'Ichigo' blinked. "Um...heh."

The stranger gave a small chuckle. "That was certainly interesting. You're not going to class?" He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

The blond nodded. "O-of course...um...?"

"Call me Akuma." His voice was pleasant and calm.

The body nodded. "It's nice to meet you. I um...need to go..."

The stranger gave a nod. "Of course." He watched Ichigo walk away, in the opposite direction of his class. "Heh. Well, isn't that interesting? No Gikongan I know of would do anything but follow instructions. How...odd."

The soul pill chuckled as he stretched his legs. Whoever the weird guy was didn't follow him, and he was alone on an open field in the school. He turned and kicked the aluminum railing along one of the covered walkways and it dented in. "Yeah! That feels good! I finally got it! A moving body! Those bastards in the department, locking me up for so long! I'm finally free!"

Ichigo's body got a bit wide eyed as he felt something snag the back of his shirt. He felt the sensation of fast movement and landed on his belly with a bit of discomfort. "Oof! Hey!"

The masked figure was lying on his belly next to him. "Shhh!"

One of the faculty was rushing up to the scene. "Hey! Who did this! Damn destructive brats!" The man shuffled off to try and find the culprit.

Ichigo looked surprised. "Um...thanks?"

"Well, this is interesting. You're no normal Gikongan. I've never seen one with much personality before." The stranger had his hands behind his head and was lying on his back as if sunbathing. "Sure is bright out here isn't it? Kind of hurts my eyes a little."

The blond kid nodded. "Um, yeah." He looked nervous.

"Relax. You seem like you might be fun. I've never been to this world. We're both new here!"

Ichigo nodded and smiled. "Really?" His face fell a bit. "Um, who are you?"

The stranger shrugged. "I told you. My name is Akuma."

"Oh, that's a strange name." Ichigo cocked his head. "I've got to go now. I've never been able to run and jump before! I want to try it out!"

Akuma nodded. "I'll come along. We'll hang out. I think running and jumping is a bit overrated, but...hey. I'm game for anything right now. It's been pretty boring here so far."

OooOOooOO

Orihime was happy. She was having a wonderful lunch. Her friend Tatsuki was having such fun putting Chizuru in a headlock and belting her head against the tabletop. It was a truly wonderful and youthful moment of joy and happiness. All that, and food too!

The happy girl's nostril's flared for a moment. She cocked her head and looked towards the sensation as she sniffed at the air. Her limited thought process was still distracted by honey covered bread, but...it overpowered even that wonderful sensation. "I smell..." She stood up and left what she was doing behind forgotten.

Tatsuki was a bit of a tomboy, with short black hair and great martial arts skills to protect her with. Chizuru was a sick and depraved sexual deviant, and they both got along so well together. Plus, Chizuru really knew how to feel a girl up better than any boy she could remember.

As Orihime reached the window she looked outside. Tatsuki was right behind her. "What? What is it?"

The girl was leaning out the window and crouched low into the corner sticking her nose into the breeze. "I smell Kurosaki!"

Tatsuki got a bit wide eyed. "Smell? What are you a dog? Besides, even if you could smell him this is the third..."

Ichigo appeared almost out of thin air in front of them. He landed on the floor. The girls stumbled back screaming. Tatsuki pointed at him. "You! How did you get up here!?"

Another figure landed right behind the boy. "Huh? We jumped. It's only the third floor. Right Ichigo?"

The blond boy looked back at his masked friend and nodded. "Yeah! That's impressive right? You're impressed?"

Orihime blinked as her eyes focused on the black clad masked figure in the hood. "Who...?"

Tatsuki was on her feet. "Ichigo! Wha? Who the hell is this guy?"

Kurosaki frowned back at his companion. "What? Him? I guess we're both pretty impressive? I kind of wanted to be the center of attention."

The figure shrugged. "Sorry. I think they're impressed, but they've never seen me before. They're kind of used to your face I guess." He seemed to think on it. "Hey! I know!" The pulled off his mask and hood. "There, that's better! Now they'll be used to both our faces!"

Ichigo looked at him and his jaw hung a little. "Um, hey..."

Standing next to him was a boy with white short cut spiky hair. His eyes were squinted a little, and he had a thin lipped, but very wide grin plastered across his face.

Tatsuki and Orihime both gasped as they looked at them both with wide eyes. "What the?" The short haired tomboy muttered. "K-Kurosaki?"

"Hey! You look like Ichi-um I mean me." He cocked his head. "Um, sort of. I know! He looked like this before!" The boy frowned and scrunched his eyebrows together.

The white haired boy nodded. "Hey! Pretty girls! I've always wanted to talk to one!" He pointed at the gathered group of shocked young girls.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah! Me too! Hey, we should pick one and try!"

Akuma nodded. "Sure!"

The blond boy scanned the crowd and locked his eyes on a very large pair of breasts. Orihime was too stunned and confused to move. "Oh! Extra large!"

His white haired companion sniffed the air and chuckled. "Oooh. Tough chick!"

They were at the back of the crowd, on the other side of the room by that point. The two boys jumped and landed in front of the two girls.

The pair grabbed Orihime and Tatsuki by the hand as they put their other hand behind each girl's neck. Ichigo spoke to the large breasted girl. "Please to meet you pretty lady. Would you tell me your name?" He kissed her hand.

Akuma nodded and smiled. "Ah, beauty and strength, a wonderful combination in a woman! It's so beautiful to find one who understands the value of a good punch! What is your name?" He kissed her hand as well.

Tatsuki was red, she made a choking sound and glanced over at Orihime. "I...uh...I..." She was frozen and unable to speak or move.

Orihime pulled her hand away from Ichigo and frowned after looking confused for a moment. "Huh? Y-you're not..."

Her friend balled her hand up into a fist. "Y-you...who the hell do you think you are? Who...?" She pulled her hand away and lifted a desk over her head. "Die!"

Akuma and Ichigo both jumped out of the way as the enraged tomboy started lobbing desks at them.

The white haired boy scratched his chin as he ducked under one. "Hmmm. Not what I expected."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. No kidding. All we did was kiss them on the hand and ask for a name. Are they in grade school or something?"

Akuma slid to the side, most of what the girl was tossing was aimed at him. "I'm not sure. Girls where I come from would have ripped half my clothes off by now. This is odd."

Ichigo got a bit wide eyed. "Really? We should go there!"

The white haired boy shook his head. "Can't. You wouldn't like it anyway."

The door slid open. Rukia stood in the doorway and called out at the top of her lungs. "That's enough!" She froze and her eyes went wide.

The two boys turned to look at her with wide eyes. "Uh oh."

The white haired boy turned to see Ichigo rushing towards them from the window. "Cheeze it! It's the fuzz!"

The pair bolted, both jumping right past the invisible boy and into a three story drop. Ichigo was looking at the shocked Rukia. "Wait. H-how many?"

Rukia was leaning out the window as he sat on the ledge and watched two of himself rush away. "What the? What did? How?"

Ichigo frowned at her. "What's going on?"

She turned and rushed out of the room. Ichigo followed after her. Tatsuki was standing and huffing in the destroyed pile of desks.

Orihime was looking out the window as the class tried to collect itself. "Kurosaki?" She clenched her fist. "No. That wasn't...who was that other guy?"

Tatsuki glowered at her. "I'll kick his ass when I see him again! Who was that? I've never seen him before, and I've known Ichigo for years!" She froze. "Wait...I..."

Her friend looked over her shoulder. "Tatsuki?"

The girl seemed lost in thought. "A cousin maybe? He was acting strange."

Chizuru gasped. "Strange? He put his lips on my Orihime! That disgusting Ichigo! I'll never forgive him!"

Tatsuki looked out the window. "There was something familiar about...that other boy's eyes. He and Ichigo..."

The brunette turned to frown at her and shook her head. "No. That wasn't Kurosaki."

Tatsuki narrowed her eyes a little. "Then...who?"

OooOOooOO

Akuma chuckled. "I think we lost them."

Ichigo's double nodded as he gasped for breath. "Hey. You're pretty fast!"

The white haired boy nodded. "Yeah. You're a Mod Soul aren't you?"

The blond froze and looked at him with wide eyes. "I..."

The strange boy shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm not with Soul Society. I like you, it's been fun." He still had his eyes squinted and the strange wide grin on his face. "I didn't think there were any of you left. Operation Spearhead was canceled."

Ichigo's body frowned and hung his head. "Y-yeah." He looked at the stranger and clenched his fist as he backed away. "Who are you? How do you know about that?"

The stranger's grin became a little wider somehow. "I told you, I'm Akuma." His eyes opened and two silver irises were looking back into Ichigo's eyes. "Come on, if they catch us, the fun will be over. Right?"

The Mod Soul nodded. "Um...right." He looked a bit wary.

Akuma chuckled. "Don't worry. I told you already. I'm not Shinigami. I don't care much for those uptight blow hards."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was winded and irritated. "Damn. We lost them! I lost myself!"

Rukia glanced at him. "That's a paradox."

Her companion growled. "What's going on here anyway?"

The girl looked at the ground. "Didn't you notice?"

He frowned at her. "What?"

"That other you, the one with the white hair. How he was dressed?"

Ichigo gasped. "N-no way!"

Rukia nodded. "Yeah. It was that guy again. I'm sure of it."

The Shinigami clenched his fist. "What happened?"

The dark haired girl shook her head. "I'm not sure. He must have done something to that Gikongan."

Ichigo nodded. "What do we do then?" He looked over at her again.

"We've got to catch your body and get you back inside it." She started running again. "Come on!"

Kurozaki had a serious frown on his face. "Yeah. Then I'm gonna kick that guy's ass!"

Rukia spoke as she jogged. "He must be some sort of shape shifter. He looked just like you."

Ichigo was running beside her. "So, he's not human then?"

The girl nodded. "I doubt it. He's probably dangerous. Be careful."

OooOOooOO

Yuzu Kurosaki was standing in the field of the grade school looking out over the wall. She had light brown hair, was ten years old, and was looking at her brother as he bounced up and down in the street outside the school walls. Her twin sister Karin was standing nearby as she called to him. "Brother!"

Her sister had black hair and a serious look on her face where her sister was light and cheerful. "Huh? Yuzu, what are you doing?"

The girl looked over her shoulder. "I saw our brother!"

Karin looked surprised. "Huh? Where?" She looked about. Sure enough, she spotted him sitting on the wall in a long black coat. "Hey. What's Ichigo..." There was something off about him.

The older boy was sitting on the wall looking at them with a strange smile on his face, grinning like an idiot. Ichigo never smiled that way, ever. He raised his hand and waved.

Karin waved back before she realized what she was doing with an odd expression on her face. It became even more confused as he bounced into the air behind himself. The grin on that one's face was even dumber. He was also leaping as much as five meters high. "Wheee! This is so fun! Look everyone! I'm awesome!"

The calmer of the two Ichigo looked over his shoulder and stood on top of the wall.

"Who the hell?" The dark haired girl grabbed her sister as she tried to wave. "No! They aren't human! Ichigo can't jump that high!" She pulled her back and stared at the stranger in black as he glanced over his shoulder. "Who? Is that?" He jumped down and went after the bouncing idiot.

"Hey, Mod Soul." The man in black landed in front of him.

The blond looked up in confusion. "Huh? What is it? I'm having fun!" He was perched on the wall overlooking a group of boys playing with electronic games.

Akuma had a frown on his face. "We shouldn't linger here. I feel a bad presence is coming soon."

Ichigo's body seemed confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The white haired man shook his head. "It's a Hollow. That means the Shinigami will be right behind it."

The fake soul looked over his shoulder as a shadow loomed overhead. It was looking down at the boys playing with their games. "Huh? Oh no!"

Akuma gave a heavy sigh. "Oh well." His companion dashed down below as the monster dove for the children. He pulled them away from the scene and shoved them out of the way.

The boys all looked shocked. "Hey! What are you doing!?"

The high school boy waved his arm. "Run! Get out of here!"

The Hollow was invisible to the boys. It looked like a giant centipede with a skull like mask over it's face. "You! I don't know who you are, but you shouldn't interfere with my meal!" One of it's legs extended fifteen feet and tried to stab at him.

A black blur appeared in front of Ichigo as he put up his arms. "Hey, Mod Soul. Stand back."

The Hollow snarled. "What?!"

Akuma was holding the leg back with one hand in a casual manner. He turned his eyes on the creature and grinned. "You know. I've never seen a complete Hollow before. You're usually cut to shit before you make it to where I'm from. A real mess, not much fun."

The creature pulled it's leg back. "You shouldn't toy with me, boy."

The black clad figure put his hands into his pockets. "Why not?"

"Who is he talking too?" One of the boys muttered from behind Ichigo.

The black clad figure turned his glowing red eyes on the group of children. "If you don't run the hell away right now. I'll swallow your souls!"

The boys screeched and rushed off in terror. Ichigo was shaking and covered in sweat. "What the hell?"

Akuma's face returned to his thin smile and squinted eyes. "Now, where were we?"

The creature loomed overhead. "Who are you?"

The black clad figure shrugged. "What? I thought we were threatening each other still. You wanna know who I am?"

The Hollow chuckled. "You look tasty."

The white haired boy shook his head. "I'd give you indigestion. Besides, all you need to know, is that if you don't scram. I'm gonna kick your ass."

The creature lunged at him with it's jaws open. "Die worm!"

Akuma chuckled as his leg lashed out as he spun into a kick. "Worm? Me? You're the one with the segmented body!" The creature took the blow in the face and slammed into the wall, smashing a hole in it. "You've got too many legs though. Hmm."

The Mod Soul looked on with wide eyes as the boy in the black coat rushed down the side of the monster's length. When he stopped on the other end, the thing's legs fell off as the ground was sprayed with it's blood.

The Hollow shrieked in pain as it twisted and rolled about.

Ichigo's body was sweating bullets and looking shocked. "N-no way!"

Akuma had a sword almost as big as he was. It was a European style sword, with a skull above the hilt and it was resting on his shoulder. He jumped on the monster's back and ran down the length of the creature running the blade along the other side.

The Hollow was limbed as he landed in front of it's screaming face with his back to the thing. "Heh. Now, you're the worm, aren't you!?"

The monster hissed in rage. "I'll destroy you!"

Ichigo jolted where he was sitting as a loud bang sounded. "Oh...man...what...who are you?"

Akuma smirked at him with his cheerful and somehow sinister grin. "How many times to I have to say it?" He twirled a handgun around his finger as he pulled it away from what was left of the monster's face. "You sure have a short memory friend." He snorted as he glanced over his shoulder as the monster seemed to evaporate and put his weapon away. The sword vanished from sight as soon as he hung it on his back. "You're late, Ichigo."

The Shinigami was looking on from on top of the wall with his jaw hanging. Rukia was beside him.

The black clad figure smirked at the shocked looking Shinigami. "Hey. I figured you and I would meet again."

The blond was enraged. "You! I'm gonna kick your ass!" He pointed his sword at the stranger.

Rukia balled up her fists. "What did you do to that Gikongan?"

The white haired stranger clicked his tongue. "No gratitude, hear that Mod Soul? I kept an eye on his body all day, and this is how he thanks me? Ungrateful dick."

Rukia gasped. "What? M-Mod Soul?" Her eyes turned towards the cowering Ichigo's body.

"Bastard!" Ichigo jumped into the air with his sword over his head. He landed and froze as he found the barrel of a gun under his chin. He was wide eyed and dropped the blade behind his head. "What the?"

Akuma was grinning at him. "Aw, too bad. You brought a sword to a gun fight it seems."

The Mod Soul pushed himself to his knees. "Wait! Please! Don't hurt him!"

Akuma turned his smile towards the animated body. "Wasn't planning on it. He shouldn't be so aggressive though. You Shinigami always jump in without thinking. So careless."

Rukia growled. "Who the hell are you?"

The stranger chuckled as he pulled another gun and pointed it at Urahara. The man had walked up behind the scene and was about to poke his cane at the cowering body. "Well, hello stranger." He turned his eyes on the man and the shopkeeper froze.

Urahara swallowed as he looked into the man's eyes. "Oh shit."

The two armed children started to point their weapons at the boy in black, but the man in the hat waved them off.

Ichigo's body was confused. "What's going on?"

The children looked confused and glared at the stranger.

Akuma chuckled. "I'm saving your ass. Rubika or whatever. Do me a favor, and put Ichigo back in his body." He twirled his twin handguns around his fingers and put them away behind his back.

"As for you." He turned his eyes on the shopkeepers. "I'm guessing that my new friend came from you? You're not Shinigami."

Urahara nodded. "Yeah. It was a mistake. Rukia got the wrong item."

The girl with black hair frowned and nodded. "I see." She knocked Ichigo's body and caught the pill that came out.

The man in black turned his eyes on her. "He's a good kid. You'd better take care of him. I'll be seeing you soon, and if he's not around. I'm gonna get upset."

Rukia gasped as she stepped back. His eyes were glowing red. "Wh-what are you?"

Ichigo was frowning at the stranger as he sat up. "What the hell is going on?"

The shopkeeper glared at the white haired boy. "Yeah. What's a demon doing here? You shouldn't be..."

The white haired figure chuckled. "What would you know of where I should be?"

Ichigo glared at him. "Demon?"

The stranger shrugged. "What? You're surprised? Don't worry about it so much, Ichigo." He had his grin plastered on his face the whole time, and didn't seem worried about any of them.

Rukia hung her head. "I suppose, you expect us to thank you?"

Akuma shrugged. "Not really. I've got reasons for what I'm doing. Still, you should hang on to that kid. He'd never fit in where I come from." He put his hands in his pockets and started walking away. "He's a sad story you know. One of the last of his kind. He's really afraid of being destroyed. He'll be a lot more useful than one of those brainless Gikongan drones. You should keep him around."

Urahara turned to walk away. "Rukia. Is that the guy you..."

She gave a nod and glared at his back as he left them. "Yeah. He's the one." She had the pill in her palm and looked at it.

Ichigo looked at the strangers and then faced his companion. "Who are these people? That guy was a demon?"

Urahara shrugged. "No one. I'm just a shopkeeper."

Rukia gave a heavy sigh and handed the pill to Ichigo. "Here. Take care of it."

The boy frowned as he looked at it and shoved it into his pocket. "What the heck is a Mod Soul anyway?" He followed after her. "What do you mean take care of it? Do I have to feed it or something?"

Rukia looked over her shoulder. "You shouldn't trust that guy, but you don't want to piss him off either."

Ichigo glared at her."What? I'll kick that jerk's ass the next time I..."

The girl turned away from him. "I don't care how strong you think you are. You screw with that guy, and he'll kill you."

The blond nodded. "What are we gonna do about him then?! He's a demon or something right? We can't just ignore him!"

Rukia stopped and balled up her fist. "Yes, we can."

Ichigo stopped in his tracks. His face fell for a moment and he seemed to get angry. "What? He's evil! What if he's come to destroy the world or something!? We're supposed to just sit here and do nothing?"

"Shinigami aren't meant to deal with his kind." She shook her head and put her palm against her forehead. "It's not our problem. Besides, he won't destroy the world."

The blond seemed confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Rukia whirled around and slugged him. "Shut the hell up! Look! Forget about that guy! He won't get in the way of Shinigami business! There are rules he has to follow too you know. He won't destroy the world. Sure, he's a demon. He's not our problem though. Come on." She grabbed his collar and dragged him along behind her.

OooOOooOO

Isshin Kurosaki whistled to himself as he sat down in his favorite chair with a cup of coffee in front of him. He was a cheerful man with a grin on his face. He was in good shape, had a scruffy beard on his chin, and seemed pleased with his station in life.

As it was, his daughter Karin was washing dishes in the kitchen, and he was just settling in after dinner to read the part of the paper he'd not finished before opening the clinic up for the day. It was closed now, and his family was settling in for the night. Yuzu was in her room, and Ichigo was as well. All was right and quiet in the world.

He had no idea how much that was about to change. He cocked his head and frowned a bit as he realized he could hear a knock at the door. He glanced over and saw that Karin was running water, and his other two children were up in their rooms. It was a persistent and steady knocking.

He gave a small sigh and stood up, walking to the front doors of the clinic. He could see someone leaning against one of the doors outside, tapping the other with the back of his hand at a steady and methodical pace. It wasn't very loud, or fast paced, and he didn't seem frantic or urgent.

He unlocked the door and poked his head out with a small frown on his face. "The clinic is closed."

"Yeah. I noticed."

Isshin froze as his eyes went wide. "Y...you..."

The white haired spitting image of his son turned to grin at him. "Hey."

The man just looked at him with a blank expression. "It...can't be..." He stepped outside and poked his finger into the boy's arm.

The stupid grin didn't fade and the boy just looked at him with familiar squinted eyes.

"Akuma?"

"Long time no see. How are things?"

The boy's expression faltered as he found himself crushed in two strong arms. "Oh! It's been so long! Have you come to visit? Will you be staying?"

Akuma chuckled. "Where else would I go? I got kicked out of my old place. I'm kind of stuck here. So, I guess I'm staying."

Ichigo was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking on with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. "What the?"

The white haired boy looked at him with the same stupid grin as before. "Hey, bro. Long time no see."

The blond boy just stood there in shock. "B-bro?"

Karin was standing in front of the scene with a dish towel in her hands. "Hey. That...guy...I saw him..."

Yuzu also appeared on the stairs. "Dad? Who is this?" She was beaming and launched herself onto the newcomer's leg.

Ichigo jumped forward in alarm. "Yuzu, don't!"

Akuma just looked at him. "What do you mean, Ichigo? Don't tell me you've forgotten your own brother?"

Isshin slapped him on his back. "Well, it's been a long time! Maybe he just didn't recognize you? Son! Get over here and say hello to your dear brother!"

Ichigo was frozen, his jaw was hanging down. "I...I don't...have...a..." The silver orbs were staring right into his eyes. "It...can't be...I...I know you..."

Karin had dropped her towel to the ground as she looked on. "B-brother? I...but..."

Ichigo looked around at his family, his sisters were confused, but so was he. His father welcomed the man with open arms, and was swinging him about in his arms as if greeting a four year old.

Akuma looked a bit out of place. "Um, could you put me down, Dad?"

Isshin slapped the boy on his shoulders. "How is your mother?"

The white haired boy cocked his head. "She's still the nasty, evil, vengeful, sadistic, bitch she's always been. Why?"

Isshun smiled and nodded. "Well, I'm glad to hear she's well!"

Ichigo hit the floor. He was pale and shaking. "What the hell?" Akuma wasn't lying, he knew he wasn't lying. He had no idea why he knew that.

The white haired boy looked down at him from above as his father's head appeared at his side.

"Ichigo?" Isshin looked confused.

Akuma grinned. "Just the memory wipe wearing off. He'll be fine. We're going to have lots of fun together you and I. Lots of fun indeed. Heh."

The raven haired ten year old girl looked confused. "Dad...who is this guy?"

Isshin slapped his shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? This is your brother Akuma. He's come to stay with us!"

Yuzu seemed confused. "We have another big brother?"

Karin growled at her. "Don't be stupid! If he's our brother, where did he come from?"

Akuma blinked. "When Mom got killed, she took me back to hell with her of course. You all forgot as part of the deal she made with Dad."

Ichigo was almost foaming at the mouth. He sat upright. "What?!"

Isshin gave a heavy sigh. "I never could resist a bad girl!"

Akuma put his hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Well, Dad made a deal with Mom, so they could get married. She took human form and lived here for a while. When she died, she had to go back to hell."

Ichigo grabbed his father by his collar and glared at him. "You sold your soul? You idiot!"

The man scratched his head. "Of course not. I...um...well...I got to keep you three when she left, and she took him." He grinned at the blond boy and gave a heavy sigh. "It was wonderful! I don't regret a moment of it!"

Ichigo walked over and sat down next to the dumbstruck Karin. They sat together with wide eyes and slacked jaws in silence.

Yuzu was beaming at the white haired boy. "Wow! So, you're my big brother!?"

Akuma's disturbing grin hadn't budged through the whole scene. "Yes. That's right. I'm sure we'll all have lots of fun together!"

"That's the spirit son!"

Karin was as pale as her brother. "M-mom is in...Hell?"

The white haired boy walked over and sat down. "Well, yeah. Don't worry though. She's the one doing the torturing, to be honest, I don't think she'd have it any other way. You guys don't realize it, but she's a bit of a sadist."

Ichigo jumped to his feet. "What? How dare you?!" His mother wasn't like that, she loved him, she was always kind, always smiling. His rage flared up as he launched himself at the white haired boy.

His brother cocked his eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He chuckled as he caught his brother's fist with ease. "You just don't get it do you?"

His brother was looking at him with wide eyes and shaking in his grip. "Don't you ever call my mother..."

"Ichigo, everyone in this room but Dad, is a half demon." Akuma's face became serious. He leaned in and spoke in a quiet tone that no one else could hear. "Do you remember that voice you heard, when you saw the gates?"

The blond was looking at him in shock. "What?"

Akuma smirked again as he looked his brother in the eye with his silver irises. "That was Mom, throwing me out."

Ichigo hit the floor as his eyes rolled up and he passed out. He laid on the ground shaking for a moment and his eyes opened. He looked at the grinning face above him. "N-no! It's not true! Mom wasn't like that!"

Isshin scratched his head. "Well, it's kind of...true, Son."

Ichigo's eyes locked onto the man's grin. "Wh-what?"

His father gave a heavy sigh. "She was a wonderful woman, and she loved you all very much...but...she wasn't...human." He blushed a bit. He wasn't about to go into her sadism. He enjoyed it, but, didn't think it was something he should bring up. She kept it in the bedroom during her time with the family.

He looked at his brother and the white haired boy shrugged. "Heh. You always were a Momma's boy. What's the big deal? Even I didn't know until I left with her." He crossed his arms and shook his head as he turned away. "She never treated me the same as she did you. I used to get jealous, but now I've realized that you weren't meant to go with her. She was getting me ready to leave with her."

Ichigo glared at him. It made him angry just to look at the smug grin on his face.

Akuma just kept smiling. "I'm sure we'll get along fine. Just like...old times. Heh."

That statement got to the blond boy, he wasn't sure why. He was a little afraid, but there was something else behind it. Something deeper, something angry, something that didn't want to back away. He couldn't help it, and he didn't know why, but there was something about what his brother said that he was looking forward to. He wasn't so sure he wanted to find out what it was, but he couldn't help it. He wanted whatever it was.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Akuma starts school.


	2. Chapter 2

The Devil's Bleached Tears

Part 2

Roommates.

OooOOooOO

Inside the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo was sitting at the table across from his brother. He was annoyed. The guy was sitting with the smug looking condescending smirk on his face. Akuma was staring back, sipping on a cup of tea.

Their two sisters had gone to bed, and they were alone for the first time, sitting across from each other. Isshin was in the kitchen bustling about.

"You know, I'm the one who spent the last six years in Hell. Why are you the one with the scowl on his face?"

"What?" Ichigo balled up his fist and his frowned deepened.

"Do you remember me yet, Ichikun?" His double leaned over his cup and opened his eyes a little more.

The blond lowered his eyes. "Yeah. Sort of."

Their father walked up to the scene grinning like an idiot, as usual. "Well, Ichigo, it's getting late. Why don't you show Akuma where he'll be sleeping?"

Ichigo blinked. "Huh? Where...?"

Akuma leaned back and stretched his arms. "Our old room, of course. Sorry, but I'm afraid you don't get your own room anymore. We'll have to share."

The blond went a little pale. "Wh-what?"

The white haired boy looked at him. "Well, I'm not sleeping with Dad. I certainly don't think it would be right to stay in the same room as my little sisters. I admit, I'm going to miss having a room to myself, but... It will be kind of nice, rooming with my big brother again."

Ichigo was sweating bullets. "R-rooming with...?"

Isshin chuckled as he slapped them both on the shoulder. "Yes! That way the two of you can bond in brotherly love and share in the spirit of youth!" He lifted them both up by the back of their shirts, carried them up the stairs, and tossed them into Ichigo's room together by force.

Ichigo and Akuma were piled together in the middle of the floor. The blond shoved the white haired boy off of him and growled.

Akuma actually had a frown on his face as he rubbed at his head. "Ouch. I could have walked. Oh well." He pulled off his coat and stepped towards the closet.

Ichigo gasped. "W-wai..."

His brother opened the door, hung his coat, and looked down at the frozen Rukia crouched on the floor. He stood there, just looking for a very long moment.

Ichigo was backed up against his dresser.

Akuma looked over his shoulder. "Hey. Very clever. A midnight snack, Ichikun? I admit, I'd like to keep one in my room myself, but...keeping a girl in the closet? Must be convenient when the urge hits in the middle of the night." He turned and looked at his brother's embarrassed expression. "I had no idea Dad was so lax! Even Mom wouldn't let me keep a sex slave in my room!"

The white haired boy hit the ground face first as Rukia kicked him in the back of his head and proceeded to stomp on the back of his skull. Ichigo put his arms up as she turned to glare at him. "Don't look at me like that! It was him!"

Rukia huffed and puffed as she glared down at the fallen Akuma. "What is he doing here?"

Ichigo hung his head. "He...just showed up."

The raven haired girl fumed. "You just let him in? Are you crazy? Do you know what he is?"

Akuma put his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her. "What do you mean what am I doing here? What are you doing in my big brother's room, Rudentia?" A powerful aura of doom radiated from his body as his eyes glowed with power.

She stiffened up as a chill ran down her spine. "Eh?"

The white haired boy calmed in an instant and smiled down at her in his usual manner. "I don't mind. Just try not to wake me up in the middle of the night. I completely understand why you'd be so interested in such a handsome guy..."

Akuma found himself with a fist in each of his cheeks, one of Ichigo's and one of Rukia's. She jabbed her finger towards the white haired boy lying on the ground between them. "What is he doing here?"

Ichigo flushed and rubbed at the back of his head. "It's not my fault! I can't get rid of him!"

She glared at him and grabbed his shirt to pull him up to her face. "Why not? Just tell your Dad he's some dangerous jerk and..."

Akuma sat up and pushed them both apart. "It wouldn't matter."

Rukia stepped back away from him. "What are you doing here demon? What do you want with this family? Why are you bothering Ichigo? What do you want with him?"

The white haired boy chuckled. "You just don't get it do you?"

The girl looked over and saw Ichigo hanging his head and rubbing on the back of his neck. "What?"

Akuma sat on the bed and leaned back in a relaxed pose as he smirked at her. "Why it's perfectly normal for brothers to tease each other."

Rukia gasped. "Some sort of hypnosis? A memory altering shape shifter or..."

Ichigo gave a heavy sigh. "That's not it at all. Look, I can't get rid of him. I..."

The girl glared at the blond boy. "What are you talking about? You don't have a brother!"

"Of course he does. I'm Akuma Kurosaki, Ichikun's twin brother. I'm not some shape shifter. This is my family."

Rukia looked at him with wide eyes.

Akuma chuckled at her expression. "Didn't you know? Demon children are always born in pairs."

The raven haired girl looked over at Ichigo. His head was hanging and he shifted his eyes away from her and looked uncomfortable. His arms were crossed and he didn't speak.

"Wh-what? Demon...children? You...you never..." Rukia looked both shocked and nervous. She turned towards the silent and sullen looking Ichigo. "You..." Her voice became a little harder and her eyes narrowed.

Akuma seemed cheerful. "Well, don't get mad at him. He didn't know. When Mom left, she took me with her. The memories of me were taken from this world with me. Take a look. The pictures on the dresser and the wall."

Rukia gasped. In the photo of Ichigo's family was a young white haired boy with his arm across the blond boy's shoulder, a big toothy grin, and his fingers held in a 'V' as he posed for the photo. "What? It...this wasn't..."

She walked up to it. Ichigo looked annoyed, his arms were crossed, and he was pouting and looking sideways from the corners of his eyes. The pose didn't look out of place before, but it was obvious that he was looking at his brother and being irritated.

Akuma seemed relaxed and Ichigo didn't look like he wanted to speak. Rukia clenched her fist and glared at the both of them. "I...see." It explained a lot about Ichigo, the size of the Soul Sword when he used it and his spiritual power was no longer a mystery. "So, you're an Akkijin."

Ichigo blinked and raised his head. "Huh?"

"Demon half," explained Akuma. He stood up and popped his back. "Well, I'd ask about how you managed to end up Shinigami, but...I don't really care. I think I get the gist of it anyway. Have fun." He walked over to the closet and pulled out a bed roll off the top shelf. "We should get some sleep. We've got school tomorrow after all."

Ichigo tensed up and his arms uncrossed. "W-we...we've got...?"

Akuma rolled out the mat and chuckled. "What? I'm staying here. Did you think I was just going to sit up here and hide in our room all day?"

The blond growled and glared at his brother. He relaxed all at once and walked over to flop down on his bed. "Fine. Whatever."

Rukia's eye twitched. "Y-you..."

Akuma stretched out on the mat and put his hands behind his head. "G'night, Rudamon. If you're gonna sneak out and slip into bed with Ichikun, just wait until I fall asleep first, all right?"

The closet door slammed closed. "Jerk!"

Ichigo gave a heavy sigh. "Shut up would you? She's bad enough as it is."

Akuma chuckled as he settled in. "It's so cute though. The two of you get all riled up! It's adorable!"

His brother grumbled as he rolled over on his side and pulled his sheets over himself. "Shut up and go to sleep."

OooOOooOO

Orihime smiled as Ichigo walked into the classroom with his bag over his shoulder. "Oh! Kurosaki! Good morning!" She waved and called out to him.

He turned and smiled at her. "Good morning, Orihime."

Tatsuki was sitting with her friend along with Michiru, a shy girl with short brown hair, and Chizuru, who was staring at Orihime's breasts and drooling a little with a half cocked grin on her face.

Mahana Natsui, a girl with curly brown hair cocked her head at the back of the group. "He seems cheerful today."

Inoue scrunched her eyebrow a bit. "Why is Kurosaki so tense this morning?"

Chizuru perked up. "You're tense? I'll give you a massage!" She put her arms over the girl's shoulders and started rubbing on her breasts from behind her back.

The perverted girl had a foot in the side of her face a moment later. Tatsuki put her hands on Orihime's shoulders and rubbed at them after kicking the pervert away. "You don't massage breasts idiot, there's no muscle there. What are you trying to relax by rubbing there?"

The Honsho girl sat up and adjusted her glasses. "Her inhibitions of course."

Tatsuki backhanded her in the face. Her expression calmed as Chizuru clutched at her nose. Michiru gave a small sigh and looked at the blond boy as he took his seat. His two friends Keigo, a boy with shoulder length brown hair, and Mizuiro, a boy with well kept black hair and a youthful handsomeness about him, were both chatting at him while Ichigo seemed to ignore them. "What about Kurosaki? He seems to be in a really good mood today." She noticed he'd not kicked Keigo in the face yet.

Orihime shifted her eyes away and looked a little pensive. "I'm not sure. He doesn't seem like his usual self."

Mahana shrugged. "I don't see Kuchiki with him today. Did they have an argument or something? Maybe that's it?"

Rukia walked into the room and smiled. "Good morning!"

Inoue smiled at her. "Good morning, Kuchiki."

Michiru smiled in greeting as well. She blinked. "Oh, have you heard? There's a rumor that there's a new transfer student today. Some boy from an exclusive school in Hokkaido."

Mahana nodded. "I heard about that too. Maybe he's cute?"

Rukia's face fell a little. "Oh, that guy."

Orihime smiled. "Oh! You've met him already?"

The black haired girl tensed up a little as she glanced at Ichigo. "Yeah. I ran into him earlier. He's..."

The girls all leaned in, Chiziru looked disinterested and frowned with her arms crossed. "Rats, just another stupid boy."

Rukia turned away from them and started walking towards her desk as she looked over her shoulder and finished speaking. "...a total asshole."

Orihime and Tatsuki both got confused and disgusted looks on their faces. Inoue spoke up. "Maybe he won't be so bad? He's at a new school, and he probably doesn't know anyone or have any friends?"

Tatsuki nodded. "I hope you're right. I wonder what kind of guy he is?"

Orihime glanced over at Ichigo and seemed to think. "I wonder...Kurosaki... It's strange, but I feel like Kurosaki's mood might have something to do with this new student."

Arisawa shrugged and sat back to relax in her seat. "I doubt it. Why would Ichigo know him? He's from Hokkaido according to the rumor."

OooOOooOO

Nearby, Keigo Asano was gripping the back of his chair as he faced Ichigo as the boy seemed to relax at his desk. "Ichigo! I hear there's a new transfer student today!"

Mizuiro Kojima smiled and nodded. "Yeah. He's coming in from a top ranked school on Hokkaido. The rumor is that he's some kind of genius..."

Ichigo frowned. "He's an idiot. I already know all about it. The guy is a total jerk."

Both boys looked at him in confusion. The brunette boy leaned in. "You met this guy? What kind of guy is he anyway?"

Mizuiro leaned in as well. "We should do our best to welcome him."

Ichigo gave a rough snort. "Don't bother. The guy is a total moron. He's a smug jerk with a bad personality."

Ryo Kunieda, a girl with long black hair and a book in her hand frowned at him over her shoulder. "You shouldn't go spreading rumors around like that. He might be very nice. What would you know of it anyway? He's probably only been here for a few days." She seemed a bit miffed.

Ichigo gave another snort. "Shut up. Mind your own business. I know him better than you think." He snapped at her and put his hands behind his head.

Both boys looked at the blond in shock. That was unlike him, even Ryo looked a little surprised. She growled. "What's your problem anyway?"

Kurosaki glanced back at her. "You'll figure it out soon enough."

The teacher walked into the room and everyone settled into their seats. Her name was Misato Ochi, and she grinned at the class. "Well, good morning everyone. It seems everyone is here today! That's too bad. It's a shame that no one is enjoying the fruits of their youth today."

The class gave a collective confused stare.

Ochi continued and turned to the door. "Well, we have a new transfer student today. I admit I'm a bit surprised. I really had no idea. Please come in and introduce yourself."

A boy who looked exactly like Ichigo, but with white hair, a smile on his face, and a pair of sunglasses on his eyes walked in. He had a school bag gripped over his shoulder in his hand and his other hand was in his pocket. He took off his sunglasses revealing squinted eyes and bowed. "I am Kurosaki Akuma, pleased to meet you."

There was a collective groaning of chairs shifting as everyone in the room turned around to look at Ichigo. The blond was frowning, looking out the window, and had his arms crossed. "What?"

Orihime was the first to speak up. "K-Kurosaki?"

Keigo leaned in and looked confused. "Hey. That guy, what is he a cousin or something? Akuma? What kind of name is that anyway?"

Ryo frowned and glanced at Ichigo as his mood seemed to sour a little more. "He's a relative of yours?"

The boy sank in his seat a bit more. "He's my brother."

Mizuiro seemed surprised. "You've got a brother?"

Keigo blinked. "Wow. I had no idea." He looked a little comfortable.

Ichigo just frowned. "Yeah. That's not an accident. I hate his guts."

Tatsuki was sitting in a state of frozen shock as she stared at the boy at the front of the class. "It...it's...you."

Akuma took the seat next to her and in front of a silent boy with black hair and glasses. "Hey. Long time no see, Tatsuchan."

Orihime and the rest of the people sitting around the scene turned to look at the girl. Inoue spoke up. "Tatsu...chan?" She smiled at her friend. "You know him?"

The girl was looking at him with wide eyes and had her jaw open. "Akuma? You..." Her face contorted. "Prick."

The white haired boy never lost his grin. "Oh! You do remember me? That's nice!"

Orihime blinked. "Huh?"

Chizuru, Mahana, and Michiru leaned in towards the dark haired girl. The brunette with glasses whispered at her. "Tatsuki, you know this guy?"

Michiru looked at the back of his head. "That smile is creepy. What kind of name is Akuma anyway?"

Tatsuki nodded and answered. "A fitting one. Stay away from him, he's bad news."

Inoue furrowed her eyebrows. "He's been gone a while? Maybe he's..."

The dark haired girl shook her head. "Not a chance. That guy, is pure evil." She clenched her fist. "He was in the same martial arts class as Ichigo and me. I was never able to beat him. He was very strong, but I used to always win against Ichigo. I'd never really hurt him though." She hung her head and glared at the back of his head. "He'd beat Ichigo up for losing. He was brutal, and didn't pull his punches. Every time I saw Ichigo after class, he'd have new bruises and marks."

Chizuru gasped. "What?"

Orihime put her hand over her mouth and turned her eyes towards the new boy. "Kurosaki?"

Mahana shrank in her seat a little, and Michiru did the same as they both looked over at the new boy.

The girls were whispering, but Akuma could hear them quite well. His smirk didn't fade, and he ignored them. There was something a lot more interesting right in front of him. "Heh. Well, isn't this something?"

The boy looked over his shoulder and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Did you need something?"

"No. I didn't think there were any of your kind left." The white haired boy looked down at his book. "There were a lot of you back home though. Heh."

The boy, Uryu Ishida narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The new boy ignored him in favor of the lesson.

OooOOooOO

Akuma sat alone at lunch. He was on the roof with several other boys, they were on the other side of the rooftop, and sitting around Ichigo. He had a bento and picked at his rice as he ate in a slow deliberate manner. His lips turned up a little more as he found someone standing next to him and blocking the sun. "Hello."

Uryu was standing over him with a frown on his face. "Who are you?"

"Akuma Kurosaki. You should pay attention, I was introduced to the class earlier."

"You didn't seem very interesting." The dark haired boy didn't sit and glared down at him.

The white haired boy kept picking at his lunch. "Am I now?"

The boy frowned down at him. "What do you know of me?"

Ichigo's brother shrugged. "I know you've got an interesting hobby. You have a strong spiritual presence."

Uryu frowned. "I see. What would you know of it?"

Akuma looked up at him with his maddening smirk. "You ask a lot of questions."

The dark haired boy turned away. "Sorry to bother you. It seems you aren't as interesting as I'd..."

"Do you ever wonder what happens to someone with a hobby like yours when they die?" Akuma spoke up and still seemed to find his food more interesting.

Uryu looked back at him and froze in mid stride. "What?"

The white haired boy didn't look up from his food. "There's something you should always remember."

Ishida turned his head away. "What's that? What would you know of it anyway?"

Akuma chuckled. "'Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself'. You should remember that, it's very important."

Uryu glared at him. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Well, if you say so." The white haired boy stood up and walked away, leaving him standing there. "It's none of my concern. My brother has a hobby too. I'm sure you've noticed, you've been glaring at him behind his back all day. Not my style though. Try not to play too rough." He closed up his bento and put it under his arm, shoving his other hand in his pocket. "Enjoy your hobby. I'll be seeing you in the future. I'm sure my Mom will love meeting you. Heh."

Uryu looked confused and frowned. "Weirdo." He walked away to find a quieter place to sit. As he walked off, he glanced over his shoulder at Ichigo and frowned at him as he narrowed his eyes. Once he reached the hall, he noticed Akuma walking back towards the classroom and frowned at him. "What the hell is with him? What was that about? How much does he know?" It was undeniable that the boy had a strong spiritual presence.

He knew the boy knew something. He was pretty sure that Ichigo's brother knew he was a Quincy. He was rubbing his nose in it. He couldn't figure out why, or what he wanted. "I'll have to keep my eye on that one."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo frowned as he gripped the small lion plushy by it's paw and swung it in his hand.

"Ichigo! I'm getting dizzy! Please! Stop swinging me! I'm a delicate flower of youth!" The stuffed animal put it's paws up to it's head as the blond boy grabbed it around it's waist and glared at it.

"Shut up would you? We found you a body didn't we? Stop complaining!"

Rukia gave a small sigh as she put her forehead into her hand. "Well, at least it worked. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised. I had no idea the body didn't have to be a living being at one point."

Ichigo started swinging his arm again. This time, holding his hand over the stuffed animal's muzzle. "I didn't think he'd be so loud. I told you we should have waited until we got home to try it." He pulled the stuffed lion up to look at it again. "You. You've got to act like a normal stuffed animal and keep quiet. We can't have you running around causing trouble."

Rukia and Ichigo both stopped walking as Akuma hopped down on the sidewalk next to them. "Hello. Oh. I see you found a body for that Mod Soul. That's good." His usual smile was in place.

"Akuma! My friend!" The diminutive creature reached for him from Ichigo's grip.

The blond boy held him out. "You can have him. I..."

The white haired boy shook his head and didn't try to take it from his brother. "Sorry. I'm afraid I don't need to leave my body. You've got to keep him around."

Rukia gave a nod. "He's right. Quit complaining."

Akuma glanced at her. "Rudimentia, you take Mod Soul and take off. I need some time with Ichigo."

She frowned and glared at him. "I can't do that. We could have a mission at any moment."

"Well, if you really want to watch me kick his ass, I guess you can." The white haired boy shrugged. "He's overdue."

Ichigo balled up his fist and glared at him. "What did you say?"

Rukia growled as she found the stuffed animal shoved in her arms. "What? Don't be stupid. He needs to be ready in case..."

Akuma frowned at her. "I'm not asking your permission. He's still a pussy, and I can't have that. This is family business, keep your Shinigami nose out of it."

The girl pulled on Ichigo's shirt. "Come on, we..." Her arm fell away and she landed on her rear against the wall next to the sidewalk.

"I'm not asking him either. Ichikun, you've got two choices. We can go somewhere quiet, or I can kick the shit out of you right here, right now." His smirk was gone, and his eyes were open. "What's it going to be?"

The blond clenched his fist. "You..." He glared at his brother.

Akuma nodded. "Yeah. That's it, the look I wanna see. I missed it you know."

Ichigo glanced at Rukia. She was still on her rear, looking up at the scene with a bit of rage in her eyes. "Hey. Take...Kon, and get lost for a bit."

She stood up and dusted her rear off with the stuffed animal. "Ouch! Hey! Phht, mmmff."

"What if..."

Akuma glanced at her. "I'll tell you what, if there's any trouble, you come and find us, and I'll take care of it if he can't. You're not getting in the way, I don't give a fuck about Shinigami business. It had better stay out of mine." His stupid smile was gone, replaced with a dangerous looking glare.

"That's not..." Rukia seemed about ready to step between them.

The white haired boy put his arm up to stop her before she did and gave a small shove. She wasn't thrown or hurt, but was forced to take a step back. "I'm not asking you. You don't have choices or options here, and neither does he. Stay the hell out of the way, or I'll go through you."

The weakened Shinigami glared at him. "Is that some kind of threat?"

Akuma grinned at her, he bared his teeth and had a wild look in his eyes. "Yeah. It is."

Rukia gasped and frowned at the expression. It didn't seem at all like he was joking.

Ichigo yelled as he rushed forward and punched his brother in the face.

The white haired boy staggered a half step back and ended up with his head turned and a fist stuck in his cheek. "Heh. I see. Ichigo, you'd better be able to do better than that. If that's all you've got...you're gonna get hurt real bad." He turned and started walking. "Come on."

His brother looked on with wide eyes and his jaw hanging. "What the?"

Akuma glanced over his shoulder. "Don't make me come get you. Get moving."

OooOOooOO

The pair walked for about two blocks. They glaring at each other face to face near to a small concrete bridge over a large stream. There was a wide open grassy area next to the water, and they faced off there.

Rukia was standing nearby with 'Kon' in her arms. She stood watching the scene a fair distance away from it. "What the hell is this about?"

Kon seemed annoyed. "Giving me such a stupid name. I hope Akuma kicks his butt." He couldn't turn around and rub himself between her breasts as she had a tight grip around his chest with her arms.

Ichigo frowned and glared at his brother. "What the hell do you want anyway? What's this about?"

Akuma was just glaring at him. "I want to fight you. There's no more to it than that."

His brother balled up his fists. "Fine. If that's how it is." He returned the glare with his own.

"Heh. That's weak. I know you can feel it. Give in. You want too."

Ichigo set himself. "What are you talking about?"

Akuma charged. "Enough talking! Attack or else!" He punched at his brother, and the blond ducked. His brother stopped and shifted his chest back as Ichigo sent an uppercut at his chin.

The white haired boy sent his knee into Ichigo's gut, and the boy was bent over for a moment before an elbow slammed into his back between his shoulder blades. The blond was on the ground with his eyes squeezed shut in pain.

"Get up. That was pathetic!" Akuma's eyes were wild and enraged.

Ichigo jumped up and flipped into a kick. It was blocked with ease and his foot was shoved back, sending him onto the ground on his back. He kicked himself back onto his feet and put up his fists.

Akuma charged again. This time Ichigo punched out at him, hit him in the nose, and kneed him in the stomach. Akuma skidded back a few feet and growled. "You pussy. You could hit me harder than that when you were six! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Ichigo was sent sprawling on his back as a right hook slammed into his jaw.

The blond staggered to his feet again, only to find himself with a foot in his gut, and two more hard punches hooked across his face.

Rukia stepped forward with horror in her eyes. Ichigo was taking a nasty beating, blood flew from between his lips after five more punches to his face. Akuma flipped back into a kick and his heel slammed into his brother's jaw.

The white haired boy landed in a crouch and growled. "What the hell are you doing?"

Ichigo growled and staggered to his feet again, he was holding his gut and charged forward while yelling. He swung in several punches and kicks, all of them blocked as his brother stood his ground. The white haired boy slammed his elbow across his brother's jaw and spun into a kick in his gut, as Ichigo was bent over, he kicked his forehead and sent him flat on his back.

"Stop holding back."

Rukia looked on with wide eyes. Her hand went up to her mouth. She started to move towards them. "No! Stop!"

Akuma glared at her with glowing red eyes. "I told you to stay out of the way."

The girl froze in her tracks with wide eyes. Kon was shaking in her grip.

Ichigo tackled his brother and wrapped his arms around his waist, only to get elbowed in his back again. He landed on his face at his feet.

Akuma glared at him and stepped back. "Stop goofing off you weakling. Show me the look I want to see. Let go, give in. I know you want to. I can feel it, I know your blood is boiling to escape, just like mine."

Rukia was staring at the scene with wide eyes, Kon was squeezed against her chest. "Ichigo..." She took a step back as the blond boy stood up, his arms hanging at his side. He looked up at his brother, both of his eyes hard and angry.

Akuma got a wild grin on his face. "Yeah. That's it. Come on. Show me what you've really got you punk!"

His brother screamed, blood dripping from his lips as he swung his arm far harder and faster than he had before.

Akuma took the shot dead in his cheek and was nearly knocked off his feet. His back twisted and he jerked to the side hard and fast from the force of the blow. "Come on!"

Rukia looked on. "What? He's..."

Ichigo had lost it. He had a wild rage in his eyes and a snarl on his lips as he swung at his brother. Akuma took several hits, a kick in the gut, four punches in his face, and a hooking kick across his jaw.

The white haired boy blocked the next attack and punched his brother in the chest. Ichigo yelled again as he ignored the blow and tried to spin into an elbow in his brother's face. The strike was blocked, and Akuma slammed his fist into his brother's face, kicked his shin and kneed his brother in the jaw as he fell to his knees from the strike.

Ichigo flipped up into a kick after taking the hit. Akuma dashed back, and then just as fast, rushed forward slamming his fist into the middle of his brother's back.

The blond boy landed belly first on the grass. He pushed himself up on his hands and growled as he looked up.

Akuma charged with his fist reared back. "Good! Not good enough though! Keep going!"

"That's enough!" A girl with long orange brown hair stood between them with her arms spread wide and a firm frown on her face.

Akuma didn't punch her, but shifted a little to the side and grabbed her arm before throwing her out of the way. Orihime rolled across the grass and ended up lying on her side. "Kurosaki!"

Ichigo looked on as it happened and jumped to his feet. "You..."

The white haired boy was grinning. "Even better! Keep going! Give in!" He put his arms up and blocked three swings from his brother's fists. After the third swing, he jumped back as another girl landed between them.

Akuma frowned at his brother. "What is it with you and women anyway?"

Ichigo's wild eyes calmed a little. Tatsuki was standing in between them with her fists up. "Don't you touch, Orihime!" She spun into a kick, and gasped.

Akuma had an annoyed looking frown on his face as he caught her ankle between his fingers with what appeared to be no trouble. "Well, Tatsuchan, I see you're as feisty as ever. That's good." She flipped up and kicked with her other leg at his face. The boy released her foot and let her land in a crouch.

The girl glared at him as she landed and stood up. "You haven't changed."

He chuckled. "Why should I? What are you doing butting into this? I warned you before, and I'll let you off this time for old time's sake." He glared over at the long haired girl as she stood up and dusted herself off as she frowned at him. "You. Orihime was it? If you jump between my brother and I again, I'll go through you. Stay out of this."

"Why?" The girl had tears in her eyes. Ichigo was a mess, his eye was swollen, he was holding his arm, and his shirt was stained with blood from his nose and mouth.

Akuma snorted. "Because he's weak."

Rukia rushed over and helped keep Ichigo on his feet. He leaned against her and glared at his brother. "How could you?"

The white haired boy turned away from the three of them. Tatsuki took up Ichigo's other arm and glared at his back. "You just don't get it do you?"

Orihime was at Ichigo's side as well. She looked at him with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Kurosaki!"

The blond boy had a dazed expression on his face. He looked at her and seemed to focus on her face for a moment.

Akuma stopped walking and looked over at the three of them. "He doesn't want your pity, you idiots. Look at his face, does he look angry, does he look sad? This is what we are. This is what the name Kurosaki means." He turned away again. "Ichigo, I'll see you at home. Next time, you'd better do a lot better. I'll go easy on you this time, as it's been six years now." He gave a rough snort. "I guess you're a bit out of practice. Heh."

Tatsuki jogged after the white haired boy for a short distance. "You asshole! Do you think your Mother would be proud of this?!" Orihime took Ichigo's other arm.

The boy paused again, looking over his shoulder at her with a strange and genuine smile on his face. "Yes. You idiot. Both of our parents have known about this from the beginning. Did you think they didn't notice? This is our heritage, and you've got no place standing between us." With that said, he continued on his way.

Ichigo was ignoring the girls holding him up. He was just glaring at his brother's back as he left the scene. His face was dazed, and he shoved Rukia and Inoue off as he staggered right by Orihime and balled up his fist.

Inoue had her hand over her mouth and a wide eyed expression on her face as she staggered back away from him. "K-Kurosaki?"

Tatsuki growled. "That asshole hasn't changed a bit."

Rukia watched the scene in silence, a calm and serious expression on her face. She glanced at Orihime and thought to herself. "So, she noticed too."

Arisawa grabbed the blond boy's arm. "Ichigo you idiot. What are you doing? Stop. He'll beat you half to death."

Orihime glanced at Kurosaki. "He...didn't even look hurt. That guy...Kurosaki's brother...he's..."

Ichigo glanced at Tatsuki. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't want your help." He pulled his arm out of her grip and started staggering away. Rukia stepped aside and clutched Kon a little tighter to her chest as he moved by while hanging her head. "Orihime." He stopped and didn't look back at her. "Don't ever do that again."

The girl glanced at him. "Y-yes...Kurosaki. I...I think I understand."

Tatsuki furrowed her brow. "What?" That answer wasn't like her at all.

Inoue gave a weak smile as she wiped at her eyes. "Kurosaki, he's not angry, he's not sad, he...wanted to fight. I don't understand, but...he didn't want to stop. He didn't want us to get in the way."

Rukia gave a nod. "Tatsuki. I know you mean well, but...she's right. You..." She didn't believe what she was about to say. "You shouldn't get in the way of this again."

The tomboy growled. "What? He's been doing this since they were kids! I can't believe he's already started this crap again."

Inoue nodded. "I see. Akuma, wants Kurosaki to be stronger." Her lip was trembling and she looked a bit nervous. "I don't think, we should get in the way."

Kuchiki hung her head and walked away. Her thoughts wandered. "I shouldn't be surprised. This is...demon behavior. It's pretty normal for them." She closed her eyes as she started towards the clinic and left the two girls looking on in silence. "I can't believe I never noticed this before. Ichigo, makes a lot more sense now. How could I have been so blind?"

OooOOooOO

Isshin gave a small sigh as his bandaged up son frowned as he sat at the table. "Well, I see your brother has given you a proper greeting." He ruffled the paper and turned the page.

"Yeah."

The man nodded. "Well, don't go making a mess, and make sure you keep it out of the clinic."

The blond nodded in silence as he looked at his hand in a daze.

"Try not to break anything son. I know it can't be helped, but don't get too carried away. I was wondering when this would start again."

Ichigo nodded again and stood up. "I'll be in my room."

His father gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I sure hope they've got it out of their system by the time his two sisters start."

"Nah. They're female. You don't have anything to worry about there." Akuma was sitting across from the man looking as uninjured as usual. He relaxed and stretched his arms. "Their battle will be different, and it won't start until they mature. Around puberty. Heh. That'll be fun to watch."

The man nodded. "Well, that's good to know. Still, don't get too rough. He's out of practice."

His son nodded. "Don't worry. He'll be fine. I could tell he missed it too." He looked up towards the stairs and stared at the room for a bit. "We'll have lots of fun. I've got to get him back in shape, or I'll go crazy. I'm amazed he's this well adjusted, I never could have gone six years without a good fight. I'd have killed someone."

Isshin nodded. "Yes. That's why your mother and I decided you'd go with her. We were going to send him, but...you were better suited. He was very attached to her, and she loved him, but you..."

Akuma chuckled. "Yes. He'll get there. I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind if he visits when he's ready. Though, I'm not so sure he'll find what he's expecting. She decided on me because I wasn't so...affectionate. I preferred being left alone. He was so cheerful and happy. He wouldn't have fit in. If Karin had been a bit older, she might have been able to come. She reminds me of me a little."

His father gave a sigh and nodded. "Well, there's no need to worry. Like I said, just don't get too carried away. I don't want you breaking bones until he can handle it."

The white haired boy nodded. "He'll be fine." He closed his eyes and relaxed as he thought to himself. "I've got to get rid of that Shinigami. She's holding him back. Her power should have returned by now, but something isn't right. It's strange, I wonder what's wrong? Oh well. She can't keep it up forever. There's no hurry though, I've got all the time in the world. Heh. I wonder if it has anything to do with why I'm here? She didn't give me much to go on. I think that Shinigami might have something to do with it though. We'll see."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The day...


	3. Chapter 3

The Devil's Bleached Tears

Part 3

Akuma's purpose.

OooOOooOO

"I don't like you, punk." Akuma's back slammed into the lockers that lined the walls. He was surrounded by four tough looking students. Standing over him was a large tough looking student in shades with a perm. His lackeys were smaller, but older boys that were all grinning at him from behind their leader.

The Kurosaki boy's shirt was gripped in the largest punk's fist as he pushed him up against the metal. His grin hadn't faded in the slightest, and he still had his sickening cheer. "Oh? I suppose that's to be expected. I'm sort of used to it."

The large boy growled. "Look at you, stupid hair, that dumb grin. A name like that, a skinny loser like you doesn't deserve it."

Akuma nodded. "Yes. That was kind of the point I think."

The bully put his face up to the grin and glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, there isn't much I can do about my hair. It's my natural color after all. I didn't get to pick my name either." The white haired boy didn't look bothered and shrugged. "I guess I'm just unlucky then."

"Are you makin fun of me?" The older boy lifted him off his feet. The grin still didn't fade.

Akuma shrugged again. "Not really. Mom thought giving me a name like mine would make me tougher. Something about dealing with this sort of thing on a regular basis making me stronger or some such. That's what she said about it anyway." He pulled a small roll of breath mints out of his pocket. "Would you like one? If you're going to be in my face like this, you should."

"You're just a punk. I don't like your attitude. Walking around with those stupid shades, acting cool. Look at you, you're nothing."

Akuma nodded. "Well, my eyes are a little sensitive to light. I need to wear them, or I get headaches. It's much brighter here than where I'm from. You should really take a mint. You need it."

The large boy grabbed the roll and crushed it in his fist, sending little pieces of mint all over the floor. "I'm gonna hurt you."

Akuma nodded. "Yes. I assumed as much. Hurry it up would you? I'll be late for class if you take too long." A moment later a fist was planted in his face and his head dented the metal door behind it. His grin didn't flinch.

"Quit smiling you bastard!" The boy punched him twice more and let him drop.

The white haired boy landed on his feet and didn't stagger. "Why? Can't you tell I think this is amusing?"

The trio of boys standing behind the large boy weren't smiling anymore. The leader of the gang frowned at him. "What?"

Akuma chuckled. "You hit like a girl." His head dented the lockers again and he didn't so much as flinch in irritation. "Are you done yet?"

The older boy growled and reared back his fist. "I'll show you!" He gasped as his fist stopped cold.

Akuma had his hand up blocking the strike and looked like he'd done it with nothing more than a gentle touch. "You know, if you keep this up, I can't guarantee your safety. I've had my name for a while now. I'm used to idiots like you. I'm afraid you're not much of a threat. Even my weakling of a brother would crush you." He flicked his wrist in a casual manner, and the older boy was on his rear on the other side of the hall.

His three friends looked on in shock and backed away. "N-no way!" One of the boys muttered in shock.

The large boy glared at them. "What are you idiots doing? Are you just going to stand there?"

One of them staggered back next to him. "I-I think I saw...his eyes were glowing...red...what the?"

Another of them looked on as the white haired boy moved off as if nothing had happened. "What? Are you crazy? What are we supposed to do?"

The large boy was on his feet and glaring at them all. "Kick his ass!"

The third thug looked at him with wide eyes. "After that? I ain't touching that guy! You punched him three times and he didn't look like he even felt it! What are we supposed to do?"

The first of the three nodded. "What the hell is that guy?"

A short distance away, Ichigo frowned at the scene with Keigo standing beside him. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Show off."

The brunette boy had been talking with Ichigo, and had frozen up as he saw what went on. Akuma walked by while putting a pair of sunglasses on and moving towards the class. "D-did you see that? What the?"

The blond boy nodded. "Yeah. So?"

Keigo looked at him with his jaw hanging. "Are you kidding? He just shrugged off Oshima like it was nothing!"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. He's always been like that. The jerk."

The brunette nodded with fearful eyes. "What's up with him anyway?"

The blond boy grunted. "He's got a stupid name, that's what. He's had a chip on his shoulder since we were kids. His hair stands out even more than mine does."

Both boys looked surprised as they found Akuma leaning against the lockers beside them with his usual grin and shades. "Don't be so quick to make fun Ichikun. Mom wanted to name you 'Nobaka', but Dad wouldn't let her. You're lucky you didn't have to spend the rest of your life introducing yourself as 'Kurosaki Nobaka'. You should thank him later. You don't even want to know how lucky our little sisters are, it was...truly sick."

Keigo looked a bit pale. "N-Nobaka?"

Ichigo frowned at his brother. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"

Akuma shook his head. "Not really. I'm still new, I'm sure I'll find someone else to annoy sometimes, but for now it's just you, Ichikun."

His brother glowered at him. "Quit callin me that. It's bad enough at home." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Quit talking about Mom that way. She wasn't like that and you know it."

The white haired boy shrugged. "Do something about it. Jeeze you're lame. She's my Mom too you know."

Keigo opened his mouth, but Ichigo looked at him. "You got something to say?"

The brunette shook his head and looked a little nervous. "No. Not really."

OooOOooOO

Orihime looked on as Ichigo walked into the room. Her bright and sunny world had a cloud in it that day. He seemed normal, not at all like he'd been hurt the day before.

Tatsuki frowned and watched him walk by them. "Well, seems nothing has changed. Look at him, it's like nothing happened at all."

Chizuru blinked along with Michiru and Mahana. The perverted girl lost her attention on Inoue's legs long enough to look up and ask. "Did something happen?"

The tomboy frowned at her. "Ichigo has been fighting with his brother. They used to do it all the time when they were kids. They might be brothers, but they hate each other's guts."

Orihime looked at her desk. "I don't think...that's true."

Arisawa looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you kidding? You saw..."

The busty girl nodded with an odd expression on her face. "Yeah. We shouldn't get in the way."

The dark haired girl frowned at her. "That's not like you. What's up with you? Did that jerk scare you or something?"

Orihime shook her head. "N-no. Well, he's a little scary, but that's not it."

Tatsuki clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "What is it then?"

The orange haired girl closed her hand into a loose fist as she stared at her desk. "I'm...I'm not sure. It was something I saw in...Kurosaki's eyes."

Chizuru looked at her. "What? No! Don't look in his eyes! You'll lose your virginity before I get it if you do!"

Tatsuki glowered at her and she shrank back a bit. "It wasn't like that at all. I don't get what you mean, Orihime." She frowned as the boy walked into the room with a pair of shades over his eyes. "That jerk. Look at him. He thinks he's cool."

The long haired girl nodded, but wasn't paying much attention. She saw something in Ichigo's eyes she wished she'd see when he looked at her. Desire, an animalistic desire. He wanted it, he wanted to follow his brother, he wanted to keep fighting. He didn't want her, Tatsuki, or Kuchiki to stop them. He wanted to fight with his brother. It was confusing, and made her chest go tight. "I don't think...Kurosaki hates his brother that much."

Tatsuki gave a snort. "Could have fooled me." She scratched her head. "What's with you today? They were beating the living shit out of each other."

Mahana gasped. "What? He doesn't look hurt."

Arisawa grunted. "You didn't see him yesterday. He never looks hurt the next day. I don't get it. It's kind of weird now that you mention it." She seemed to think about it. "Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked, but still. They don't get along at all."

"Don't worry about it. It's a family thing." Rukia was standing behind the group as they conversed. "I heard about it yesterday. It's just sort of what the guys in his family do for some weird reason. Macho crap, but I guess I sort of get it."

They all looked up at her and she walked off towards her desk.

Orihime smiled. "Wow. She really understands Kurosaki. We're so lucky."

Mahana looked confused. "Huh? Wait a minute. I thought...um...I mean...don't you...like him?"

The orange haired girl nodded. "Sure! We both understand him, so now there's two of us! Two on one, and the girl's side wins!"

Chizuru got a little wide eyed. "Well...when you put it like that...maybe if Kuchiki was involved too...I wouldn't mind...putting up with...." She looked over at Ichigo and her grin faded. "Ugh. Never mind. Go, Kuchiki! If you win, I'll have Orihime to myself!"

Mahana hung her head. "That's kind of sick, Chizuru."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Orihime, it doesn't work that way. Love is..."

She was drawing little hearts in her notebook and smiling while humming to herself. "Huh?"

It was almost time for class to start and Arisawa hung her head. "Never mind, I'll explain it later."

OooOOooOO

Rukia was glaring at Akuma at lunch. He was sitting alone again, and smiled up at her when she approached. She sat down beside him and looked displeased.

The demon boy didn't look at her as he picked at his lunch. "Yes? Something I can do for you, Rumpleku?"

The girl growled and looked down over her knees at the rooftop. Ichigo and his friends were sitting a short distance away, ignoring them. "What are you doing here?"

The boy looked over at her, with his smirk in place. "I told you, I'm here to see..."

The girl frowned at him and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not that stupid. No one gets 'kicked out' of Hell."

Akuma nodded. "Well, not usually. Mom sent me."

"Why?" She turned her eyes away from him. "Don't go giving me any of that 'family' crap either. Ichigo might not know better, but she's a demon, and I'm not that dumb."

He shrugged. "What's it to you? Shinigami have no business sticking their noses in affairs like this."

She glanced over at Ichigo. "I'm not asking as a Shinigami."

The white haired boy seemed to think on that for a moment. "Hmm." He opened a fan and put his arm around her shoulder as he hid his face behind it. "Yes."

The girl's head whipped around to glower at him. "What? What are you talking about?"

Akuma gave a serious nod. "I give you permission to go steady with my brother."

She balled up her fists, but controlled her temper. "That's not what I'm talking about, idiot. Quit skirting around this."

The white haired boy opened his eyes a little and put on his shades again. "What's it to you then?"

Rukia blushed a little and played with her hands. "I owe him, I guess. He's been taking care of my duties while I recover."

Akuma gave a snort. "Recover? You should have been recovered by now. It's kind of annoying, as you're in the way."

She turned her eyes away again. "I only meant to give him half my power. He took all of it instead. I think that's why it's taking..." She jumped to her feet and grabbed at her cheek as he gave her a light slap. "Ouch."

Akuma was grinning again, and showed her a thumbtack between his fingers. It had a bit of blood on it and he chuckled as he put it up to his nose. "Really? How do you explain this then?"

She wiped the small cut on her cheek with the back of her hand and clocked him upside his head. "What did you do that for?"

"Heh." He licked the tack. "This doesn't taste much like Gigai fluid. Your body smells off. Why is that, Rukindo?"

She stomped her foot and frowned at him. "What are you talking about? What is it with you and my name anyway?"

The white haired boy chuckled. "You've got more important things to worry about aside from what I want with my brother. It's none of your business anyway. You should start wondering why you're starting to smell like a human. I'd be pretty worried about what you're going to do when the Soul Society decides to come and find you. You're not recovering at all. Doesn't that seem...odd to you?"

She looked at him with wide eyes and balled up her fists. "So? What's it to you?"

The white haired demon boy shrugged. "To me? Nothing really. I've got no interest in you. Ichigo seems to have some sort of personal attachment to you. I'm not sure how deep it is, and I honestly don't care."

She looked over her shoulder, the cut on her cheek had healed already. "So? You've not answered my question either."

"I'm looking for something." He picked at his bento and looked away from her.

"What's that?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What makes you think I can tell you? Like I said, it's none of your business. Ichigo isn't really involved. I really am taking the opportunity to visit my family while I'm here anyway. Even demons have family relations and attachments, annoying as they are." He shoveled a bit of rice into his mouth and chewed as he seemed to think about it.

Rukia gave a nod. "I see. He's not like you."

Akuma took another bite of his lunch. "I noticed. He prefers his human side."

The girl's violet eyes focused on the back of his head. "And you?"

He didn't bother looking at her. "That should be obvious."

Kuchiki frowned and turned away. "I'll be watching you."

Akuma gave a snort. "What are you? An angel now? Keep your nose out of this, or you'll just get burned. Ichigo doesn't need you, you're holding him back. I don't really need to do anything about it though. Sooner or later, your friends at the Soul Society will take care of it for me, but...you already know that, don't you?"

She backed away from him and walked away looking frustrated.

Kurosaki looked towards a nearby corner. "Tell me. Did you learn anything interesting, Quincy?"

Uryu stepped around the corner and frowned at him. "What are you?"

The white haired boy put his empty bento under his arm and stood up to walk back to class. "Well, I'm not a Hollow, and I'm not Shinigami. So, it's nothing for you to worry about, is it?"

The dark haired boy pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm not sure of that yet. I'll be keeping my eye on you, Kurosaki."

The white haired boy nodded as he walked by and patted Uryu on his shoulder. "You do that."

OooOOooOO

Rukia looked on over the same scene she'd witnessed the day before. She was leaning against the bridge that crossed the river.

Ichigo was fighting his brother again. They'd both come to the place right after school. She was calm, and simply looked on without speaking at the scene.

Ichigo had a wild and angry look in his eyes. He was moving with a speed and ferocity that she'd never seen in him before. His brother was beating the tar out of him, but he was connecting with solid blows that the white haired boy looked like he felt.

They had been going for almost an hour by that point. Akuma rushed forward and put his fist into Ichigo's gut, and the boy flew back, tumbling across the grass before coming to a stop face down.

Akuma grinned at him. "Good. You're starting to get back into it again. Still, you're weak. Look at you, it's pathetic."

Ichigo pushed himself up onto his arms and glared at him. He didn't respond and coughed up a bit of blood. He balled up his fist and pulled at the grass as he lowered his eyes.

Rukia walked up to the scene and helped the blond boy onto her shoulder. "Are you going to do this every day now?"

Akuma gave a nod and glanced at her with his usual grin as he put on his shades again. "Pretty much, yeah."

She frowned at the blond. "What if there's a mission?"

Ichigo glanced at her. "I'll be fine."

The white haired boy chuckled. "Well, don't look at me. I'm not the one who got him involved with that. I could care less about Shinigami business." He put his hands into his pockets and walked away from the scene towards the clinic. "I'm not going out of my way to accommodate for it."

Rukia growled and supported Ichigo as she helped him walk away. They took a different route from the demon boy. "You shouldn't be doing this."

Ichigo frowned. "I can't help it. I've got too."

The dark haired girl looked confused. "What? That's stupid?"

The blond staggered off of her shoulder and started walking on his own. "I can't say no. I don't want to."

Rukia's cell rang and she pulled it from her pocket. "Damn." She glared at him. "Look at you. I can't ignore this. You're in no condition to..."

He turned his eyes on her. "Shut up, and do it."

The dark haired girl frowned and pulled on her glove. "Fine. You're going to get yourself killed." After slapping her palm against his forehead, the Kimono clad boy staggered out of his body.

Ichigo looked at his fist and then at her again. "So. Where is it?"

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was standing on a steel beam high up on a half built apartment complex. In front of him was a large spider like creature with a hole in it's abdomen, with a mask covering it's face. It was about the size of a small car, with ten foot legs and venom dripping from four fangs under it's mask.

"Shinigami scum! Die!" It crawled forward through the incomplete walls towards Ichigo.

The kimono clad boy held the sword and stood looking at it in a relaxed position. "Yeah. Whatever." He put the blade up against his shoulder and waited.

Rukia called out to him from one of the floors below. "Don't just stand there idiot!"

The Hollow charged at him and hissed. Ichigo seemed to blur for a moment and shot by the side of the creature, ending up standing with the sword held up in a strike. He turned to look down at Rukia without even giving the monster a second glance. Without a word he hopped down beside her. "We're done here. Come on."

The dark haired girl frowned at him. "Don't get cocky!" She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her face. "You idiot! You're just lucky it was so weak!"

The monster gave a screech and flew apart as it became exorcised.

Ichigo just glowered at her. "What? It's done isn't it? What's the big deal?"

Rukia frowned, his face was still bruised a bit, but it was just a few nasty looking marks. He'd been beaten to a near pulp no more than an hour before. She shoved him away. "I don't feel like arguing about it."

Ichigo hit his head against one of the steel beams as he staggered back from being shoved and landed on his rear rubbing the spot. "Ouch."

OooOOooOO

Rukia walked along beside Ichigo a short time later. He was back in his body, and the physical damage was worse than his spiritual form. He was moving under his own power, and not staggering about anymore, but the bruises were much larger, and he had a few shallow cuts and scrapes still. They were scabbed over as if he'd had them for a few days already though. "We need to talk."

The blond boy frowned at her. "What? I'll be fine. It's not so bad once I leave my body. I..."

She shook her head. "No. Akuma is up to something. He's not here just to see you and your family."

Ichigo paused and looked at her. "Huh?"

Rukia crossed her arms and turned to face him. "No one gets 'thrown out' of Hell, Ichigo. You can't annoy the demons enough to get them to let you go."

He shrugged. "Yeah? Well, um...what? I'm confused."

She narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest with her finger. "If they let him out, he was sent here for a reason."

Kurosaki nodded. "I thought you said we couldn't do anything. He's a demon right? That's not Shinigami business."

Rukia nodded. "You're right. That doesn't mean you should trust him. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't worry about him. He's staying with your family. He's a demon, Ichigo. That's not good for your family."

The boy turned away and hung his head. "So what? So was Mom."

She balled up her fist and clocked him on the back of his head. "Idiot! That doesn't mean a thing! Your Mother made a deal, a contract. He's here for a reason, and he's..."

He frowned at her and shoved his hands into his pockets. "He's my brother anyway. I don't like him. I'm not going to let him hurt my family, but..."

Rukia glared at him and looked about ready to grab him again. "What makes you think you could stop him? Ichigo, it's not Shinigami business, but it's yours. You need to find out what he's up to, before he drags your family into it."

The blond boy looked at his fist. "I guess I need to get stronger then. The fastest way to do that...is him."

Rukia looked pensive. "You shouldn't trust him. You need to find out what he's doing here. Not for Shinigami, or me. If you want to protect your family, you need to know what's going on. How are you going to keep them safe if you don't?"

He looked over his shoulder at her and nodded. "What should I do then? Dad won't let me throw him out. I know I can't beat him...yet."

The short girl frowned and looked irate with him. "That doesn't sound like you."

Ichigo's eyes were shaking as he glared at his own fist. "He...he's still holding back. A lot. I don't think I could beat him...even as a Shinigami." He looked disgusted and angry as he looked at his hands.

Rukia's features softened. "I see. Forget what I said. You can't fight him as a Shinigami, but...you need to find out what he's doing here, what he wants, and what your family has to do with it."

OooOOooOO

Karin was sitting on the couch. She was curled up and holding her own arms as she looked at the white haired boy. The black haired ten year old was curled up and as far away from him as she could possibly be without leaving the couch.

Yuzu was smiling at her older brother and playing a video game with him.

He seemed pleased with the toy. The game was cute, and involved making a large ball of stuff by rolling something around that made things stick to it. "This is much better than I remember these being."

Yuzu giggled and was having fun being with him. "Yeah. It's new! Isn't it cool!?"

Akuma was having more fun than he'd thought. The game was cute to the point that it was sickening. However, there was a little bit of darkness under the cute exterior. An entire town was being demolished by the cute ball, it grabbed people, buildings, animals, cars, anything that was lying about. The people gave frightened screams as they became attached to it, and were sent into the cosmos to be burned into stars. "Yes. Very interesting."

Isshin sat down on the couch looking pleased. He noticed Karin and put his arm around her. She pushed into him and kept looking at the white haired boy while shaking. His lips turned down a little as she clutched at him. "Karin? Are you all right? You don't want to play?"

She looked up at him and blushed. "I'm fine...I just..."

Akuma glanced back. "She's very sensitive spiritually."

The man looked at his son. "Huh?"

The white haired boy looked back at the game. "She's fine, but...I've been in Hell for six years. It's left a bit of spiritual residue, and it's making her nervous. She'll be fine."

Karin felt her stomach turn as he glanced back at her again and her shakes worsened. Isshin frowned and pulled her a little closer. "Don't worry. He's your brother. You shouldn't be like this."

Akuma spoke up again, the dark haired girl gave a small gasp as she went a little pale at the sound of his voice. "She can't help it. She's more spiritually sensitive than Ichigo is." He smiled at her. "You've just got to get used to it. I'm afraid it won't fade. Hell leaves a permanent mark on those who enter. It's nothing to worry about."

She did her best to hide under her father's arm. Her brother scared her, something about him just felt bad. Even if he was telling the truth, it didn't make the feeling go away.

Isshin gave a small sigh. "I see. Don't worry. You'll get used to it. He's your brother."

The ball of things that had once been a town on the screen turned into a star. There was a list of things with how many of each the ball contained on the screen. Akuma grinned as it indicated there were six hundred and sixty six people in it. "Heh."

Yuzu cheered. "Yay! Stage cleared!"

OooOOooOO

Ichigo frowned as his brother walked into their room. He was laid out on the bed, and there was now another in the room next to it on opposite wall. Akuma spread himself out on his own bed and gave a heavy sigh. "Did you want something? You're glaring at me like you've got a question."

The blond scratched his head and sat up. "What are you doing here?"

His brother kept looking at the ceiling. "Well, this is my family too you know."

Ichigo frowned. "Yeah. That doesn't sound right to me. You're up to something."

Akuma nodded. "So I am."

His twin looked over at him. "Well?"

The white haired boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm looking for something. You don't need to know more than that. I'm just here to visit while I'm in this world. I'll probably be here for a while, so we might as well make the most of it."

Kon was sitting on the dresser looking at the pair. "What is it? Maybe we can help?"

Akuma opened his eyes and looked at him. "You don't want to get involved with this. Don't worry about it. It's not an affair of this realm. Divine politics or some such. I don't know the details myself."

Ichigo frowned at him. "So, you're on some sort of mission?"

His brother nodded. "Pretty much. Like I said, you've got enough problems. I don't need help, and this is as good a place as any to crash while I take care of it. Don't worry so much, Ichikun."

Kon cocked his head. "So, big brother Akuma is looking for something?"

The white haired boy nodded. "Keep your nose out of it, Mod Soul. If you find out too much, I've got to take you back to Hell with me. You wouldn't like that, and I like you. So, take my advice and stay out of it."

Ichigo frowned at him and nodded. "So, you're just using us then?"

Akuma smiled. "Not really. That goes for you too, Ichikun. Keep your nose out of this, or I'll be forced to drag you back with me. Might not be as bad for you as Mod Soul, but you wouldn't like what you'd find there."

Kon sat with his mouth hanging open for a moment and nodded. "Right. Good enough for me. I don't need to know a thing about it. In fact, if I find out, I'll forget."

The blond boy glared at Akuma. "If you drag Dad, Karin, or Yuzu into this...I'll kill you."

His brother nodded. "Yes, well. I'm not bothering you and your Shinigami friend in the closet or sticking my nose into your business. Return the favor, and we'll all be fine." He put his hands behind his head. "I could have told Dad about all that, but...I'm not going to. I've got no reason to bother with it. Don't give me one."

Rukia had the door opened and looked on at the scene with a frown on her face as her violet eyes glared at the boy lying next to the opposite wall from the closet. She didn't say anything and closed the door.

Ichigo didn't seem satisfied, but relaxed onto his mattress and closed his eyes.

OooOOooOO

"Hey. Wake up. You're going to be late." Ichigo opened his eyes and found himself looking into a familiar smug grin.

"Gah!" He jumped up and found his brother leaning over him with Kon on his shoulder. "What? What are you doing?!"

"You've slept in long enough." Akuma turned away wearing his uniform. He put Kon onto the dresser top and walked out the door. "I'll see you later."

The blond boy glared at Kon. The plushy sat down and watched him scratch his head and yawn. "What are you staring at?"

He knew more about Kon, and his situation now. He couldn't just throw the Mod Soul away. He'd heard about how it had been created, used, and then almost disposed of by the Shinigami. It didn't sit right with him, and he lost a little respect for the organization. Rukia had explained that the rules were to protect humans, but he didn't understand why they'd thought Kon was even close to dangerous.

That didn't make Kon any less annoying, and he liked his brother too. That didn't help his case any in his opinion.

Kon stood up. "You should hurry up and wake up."

Ichigo looked at his watch. "What time is it? If it's so late Dad would have..." The first thing he noticed was that it was getting late. The second thing he noticed was the date. "Oh. I see..."

Rukia stepped out of the closet dressed in her uniform for school. "Hey. What's all this noise so early?" She paused when she noticed the look on Ichigo's face. "Hey. Why the long face?"

He glanced at her and shook his head. "It's nothing...just..."

"Brother!" Yuzu was outside his door. "Can I come in?" Rukia dashed for the closet, and the blond boy grabbed Kon by his head and tossed him into the door as Rukia closed it. The plushy gave a squeak as he hit the wall in the back of the closet.

"Sure!"

His little sister walked into the room and looked around. "What are you doing? You're going to be late soon. Big brother Akuma said he woke you up already, but..."

He gave a nervous grin and nodded. "Yeah. I uh, slept in a bit."

The girl nodded. "Well, get dressed. Then go to Dad's window and apologize to Kojima. He's waiting." She chided him a little and left him alone.

Rukia walked out of the closet after she left and frowned. Ichigo left to go and speak with his friend. "That was close."

Kon staggered out of the closet with a pair of panties over his face. "Big sister! Help! I'm blind!" He wandered about with his paws up.

The raven haired girl glared at him and snatched the garments from his head.

Kon sat down and gasped. "Phew! Thank you, big sister!"

Her eye was twitching as she growled at him. "What were you doing with these anyway?"

Kon looked up. "Huh?" He scratched his head. "I got scared and hid in that pile of big sister Rukia's clothes. When I crawled out I couldn't see..."

"Pervert!" She kicked him back into the closet as if he was a soccer ball.

Kon was flattened against the wall and slid down the plaster to the floor. She tossed the underwear back into the pile in the corner and closed the door before dusting off her hands.

Ichigo walked back into the room and she walked over to the window. "I'm going on ahead."

The blond was pulling his clothes on. Mizuro was waiting on him downstairs. "All right. See you later."

Rukia gave him a confused glance for a moment before hopping out the window.

Ichigo looked at the door. "So, tomorrow is...that day."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: That day...


	4. Chapter 4

The Devil's Bleached Tears.

Part 4

The Day...

OooOOooOO

Ichigo frowned, he had a black eye, and his body was bruised up. He was sitting at the table after school glaring at Akuma.

"Why the long face Ichikun? You've been pouting and quiet all day." His brother seemed amused.

The blond growled at him and looked away. "As if you don't know."

Akuma gave a shrug and sipped at a cup of tea. "No. Not a clue."

His twin glowered at him. "Tomorrow."

The white haired boy nodded. "Yes. I recall overhearing Tatsuki mention something about you not going to school. Why not? It's taco day."

Ichigo's brow furrowed and he seemed to get a little upset. "Are you playing games with me?"

His brother seemed surprised. "Not really. What's the big deal about tomorrow?"

Yuzu frowned at the white haired boy as she sat down next to him. "It's the anniversary of the day Mom died."

Akuma got a bit wide eyed. "Huh? Oh. Yes. I suppose it is. Six years to the day. I should have known, I left the same day. Um...I'm a little confused though."

Ichigo seemed to calm down a little. His sister was cheerful, but more subdued than normal. "About what?"

The white haired boy frowned at him. "What's the big deal about it? I mean, skipping school for that?"

Karin sat next to Ichigo and glared at him. She had her arms crossed and didn't look him in the eye. "We're going to visit her grave."

Akuma spit his tea into the air a bit and coughed. He looked both surprised and confused. "Huh? Why?"

Ichigo growled a little as his temper rose. "She was our mother."

His brother just nodded. It was obvious he didn't get it. "Oh. Okay."

Karin looked at his chest. "You've got some kind of problem with that?"

The white haired boy shook his head. "No. Not at all. I suppose I hadn't really thought about it. That's all."

Ichigo and Karin didn't look very satisfied with that answer.

Yuzu pulled on Akuma's sleeve. "Does...Mom miss us?"

The white haired boy smiled at her. "She'd very much like to see all of you again one day."

The answer satisfied the girl, Karin relaxed a little, and Ichigo just gave a snort. The blond spoke up and crossed his arms. "I suppose you'll be along."

Akuma frowned. "Huh? I wasn't planning on it. Do I have to?"

Isshin slapped Akuma on his back as he walked up behind the scene. "Yes. You do."

The boy nodded. "I suppose that I am then."

Their father balled up his fist. "And now, I will open the meeting to decide tomorrow's duties! To be honest, since the Chairman is Dad, then Dad has the final say in everything!"

The white haired boy nodded and sipped at his tea. "Wow. That's exactly how Mom would have put it."

Yuzu looked at him and smiled. "Really?"

Isshin nodded. "Yes. That's true."

Akuma agreed and added, "You forgot the last part though. 'Now do what I say, or you'll be lucky if I just kill you'."

Isshin nodded. "Yes. Well, Daddy isn't quite the same. Now! On to the duties!"

OooOOooOO

The next day, Tatsuki was sitting in her room talking to Orihime. They were on her bed next to each other talking about Ichigo. "I met him when we were four, at the dojo I went to. He was always smiling and that flashy hair color, holding his Mom's hand. She was very pretty. He was so puny, always grinning like an idiot. He cried whenever he lost. It only took one blow to his upper body. It didn't take more than ten seconds. I was the first to make him cry at that dojo."

Inoue sat listening and patient while she spoke. Tatsuki looked up at the ceiling. "But you know, even though he cried, he always started smiling again when his mother came to pick him up. I hated that. A man who loses like that shouldn't be grinning like an idiot. He was really spoiled, and stuck to his mom like glue."

Orihime smiled at her, but her face fell at the frown Arisawa got on her face as she looked at the floor. "Then, there was Akuma. He was...different."

The orange haired girl cocked her head. "Different?"

"He's always had that smug looking grin on his face. Even when people picked on him because of his hair, or his name. He'd just...smile. The older students used to push him around a little. He'd always beat me and Ichigo, but his smile never changed." She looked at the girl. "I used to think it was weird. Their mother would come to pick them up, and he'd just stand next to them. Ichigo would hold her hand and laugh, he looked so happy to see her. Akuma would just sort of stand there like he always did. Even when he was getting beat up, he looked that way." She scratched at her head and growled. "When I was seven, I started noticing the bruises on Ichigo. A few weeks later, I caught him beating up his brother after practice. I stepped in to help him, but I lost. He didn't even hurt me, he just tossed me aside. I was so angry."

The girl next to her hung her head and wrung her hands a little.

Tatsuki growled. "I hate his guts. He didn't hold back against Ichigo. I could never stop him, but...he'd never hurt me. He just tossed me aside as if I was nothing. It was infuriating. When I asked him why he'd just say...'Because he's weak'."

Orihime frowned at that. "Kurosaki isn't weak."

Arisawa gave a small snort. "Well, at the time, he kind of was." She grinned at her friend. "Even when we were nine, he would still grin like an idiot. He was so spoiled by his mother. Then when he was nine, his mother died."

Inoue nodded and hung her head a little.

"They found her a few days later, floating in the river. She'd been, murdered. He was covered in blood, and wandering by the river bank crying for her when they found him. There was nothing but a spot of blood nearby. Her body had fallen into the water. No one knows what really happened. She had multiple stab wounds. Akuma vanished the same day. I guess I always assumed that he died there too. No one said anything about him after that day, he was just gone. Just like her."

Orihime gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh. That's terrible!"

Tatsuki nodded. "Yeah. I found him wandering the riverside after he'd missed school for a while. It was horrible seeing him like that. He was never the same after that."

OooOOooOO

Karin frowned as she walked up a steep hill with Yuzu beside her. The soft spoken brunette seemed a bit weary. "This is a tough hill."

Her black haired sister glanced at her. "It's nothing to me."

Behind them, Isshin was in front of the two boys, Ichigo and Akuma. Their father was easily excited. "Do your best, Yuzu! Don't give in, Yuzu! Daddy's with you! Look! Hey! Look at Daddy! He's climbing the hill while standing on his hands!"

Karin frowned and refused to look back. "Don't look, Yuzu. Encourage people like that and it will never end."

Akuma spoke up from behind them. "Well, you're assuming it's going to stop regardless. He's been like this as long as I can remember." He looked at Ichigo. "Remember the time he did ten laps around the baseball field using only his butt cheeks?"

The blond boy rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me."

The white haired boy continued. "Or the time he drank an entire gallon of milk with his nose and a straw? Or when he opened six cans of baked beans with his teeth? Or the time he ate a seven foot long submarine sandwich by himself in only fifteen minutes? Or the time he counted how many licks it took to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?"

Isshin balled up his fist and nodded with tears in his eyes. "Yes! Three thousand four hundred and seventy two licks!" He was balancing on one hand to do it.

Ichigo was flushed and looking away from him with his hands in his pockets. "Quit bringing stuff like that up you jerk! He's bad enough as it is!"

His brother nodded. "Yes. Well, he's not going to stop just because we aren't watching you know. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff Mom told me about from before we were born." He stretched his arms. "He made her sit in a car and pushed it twenty five miles to the beach once because he couldn't afford gas and promised he'd take her there on a date. Then, he gave her a ride home."

Their father was looking quite pleased, his two youngest children were looking at him in stupefied horror. The man was nodding, and still in his handstand. "Yes, the true romantic spirit of youth!"

Even Ichigo looked surprised at that one. "Y-yer kidding?"

The white haired boy shook his head. "Nope." He gave his father a grin. "She told me the only reason she had sex with him that day, was to make sure he didn't get the chance to recover before he pushed the car back."

Yuzu and Karin started rushing away. "Too much information!"

Akuma shrugged at his brother. Ichigo had gone a little pale and looked a bit sick.

Isshin nodded from his handstand. "Actually, that does sound like something she'd do."

The white haired boy noticed the two girls stop a little ahead of them in the road as they noticed someone standing there. He gasped and pointed before saying in quite a loud voice. "Hey! It's Randika! What is Ichikun's secret girlfriend doing here?"

The blond boy froze and his wide eyes whipped around to glare at his brother. "Wh...what?!"

Rukia had frozen in place, she'd started to give them a cheerful wave, but had stopped and simply looked at the white haired boy.

Isshin, and Yuzu had both rushed up to Akuma. The white haired boy leaned in and spoke in what could only be described as a stage whisper. "Shhh! We're not supposed to know! Let's pretend we don't notice them sneaking off to be together."

Isshin had tears in his eyes and held his fist up. "Right! We don't want to embarrass them!"

Karin looked annoyed, and hung back. "Well, it's a bit late for that I think." She walked by Rukia and gave a small wave. "Hey. Sorry. All of them are idiots."

The older girl just flushed. "Um...I'm not...really...I was just..."

Ichigo was waving his arms. "I don't know that person! I completely, and utterly don't!"

Karin frowned. "You know, I feel like I've seen her before."

The blond boy was getting panicked. "Wait! I remember now, she's a classmate from my middle school days! It's all coming back to me!"

Akuma gave a snort. "She's in our class. They're totally attached at the waist at school. Always right next to each other. It's so cute!" Once again, he was leaning in to the rest of his family and giving 'secret' information that everyone could hear. "They're totally into each other. They disappear together all the time, doing who knows what all by themselves. Alone, for as much as an hour at a time..."

Isshin rubbed at his chin. "Really?"

Even Karin was staring to get into it a little. "Eh heh heh heh. I suppose he is finally getting to that age isn't he?"

Akuma nodded. "Totally."

Ichigo grabbed Rukia by the arm as she tried to rush up and clock the white haired boy on the back of his head. He rushed away and gave a nervous sounding laugh. "Well, I'm going to go and talk with her about old times. My old grade school classmate! I feel so nostalgic! I've just got to talk to her alone immediately! You guys go on ahead without me!"

Isshin grinned. "In your class you say?"

Akuma smiled an nodded. "Totally. She sits like two desks down from me. They're practically tied together at school. I haven't seen them more than ten feet apart there since I got here." He turned and walked after them.

Yuzu blinked. "Wait. Where are you going?"

The white haired boy shrugged. "To spy on them of course. I have to be a good brother and all."

Karin's eye twitched. "G-good brother?"

Akuma nodded. "Yeah. I'd invite you, but you're too young for that sort of thing. It'd just be weird if Dad came along. Go on ahead."

Isshin looked a bit disappointed. "Well, it wouldn't be that weird."

Karin kicked him in the face. "Pervert! Both of you!" She stomped off with Yuzu in tow.

"See you later, big brother!" The brunette girl waved as she was dragged away with her father trailing behind them.

OooOOooOO

"What are you doing here?!" Ichigo looked a little upset.

Rukia had a straight and serious face as she stood in front of him with her arms crossed. "Fool. What are you going to do if a Hollow attacks and I'm not here?"

"Just because of that? If you were going to follow, you should have been more covert! Now look what you've done! Now my family thinks we're..." He blushed and looked annoyed.

Rukia's expression didn't change. "So? We should run with it for now. It's the perfect cover."

Ichigo looked a bit surprised and went a little pale. "Huh?"

The black haired girl shrugged. "I hate to admit it, but it's true. It's our best option. When this is over, you can just act like we broke up or something. What's the big deal? It's not like you've got a girlfriend or anything."

The blond boy growled. "That's not the point!"

"So? It's true anyway. It's the easiest way to explain how much time we spend together. Unless you want to start explaining how you're replacing me as a Shinigami to all your friends and your family?"

The boy's jaw dropped. "I...uh..." He seemed to notice her expression. "What's with you anyway? What are you so mad about?"

Rukia just stared at him. "I'm not angry. You said your mother was killed."

Ichigo looked away. "I didn't say that."

"Who killed her?"

The boy turned his head away from her. "I never said that. Forget about it."

"It was a Hollow wasn't it? Your spiritual density is high. They could have targeted you, and mistaken your mother for..."

Ichigo turned and yelled at her. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Rukia looked surprised as her stale face broke. "Huh?"

The boy frowned at her. "This isn't a joke. It was already something serious. When it comes to you, everything is the handiwork of Hollows. You don't need to find reasons like that. It wasn't a Hollow, you guessed wrong. She was...stabbed to death."

Rukia hung her head. "Sorry. I didn't know."

The boy in front of her froze. Standing on the top of the steps was a familiar figure. One he'd not seen since that day. "It...it can't be. Why...why here?" He rushed past the Shinigami and away.

"Ichigo? Where?" She frowned as she saw nothing at the top of the stairs through the woods. "Nothing there...it disappeared...or?" She rushed after him and caught the back of his shirt at the top of the stairs. He collapsed and fell on his hands and knees. "What? Why did you run?"

The boy was upset. "It wasn't a Hollow! It was...me! I killed her!"

OooOOooOO

Rukia sat above the graveyard on a large concrete wall that prevented the cliff side from eroding away into the grave site. She looked down at the family around the stone below and sulked. "What a fool I am." She felt horrible. It must have been some sort of accident.

Kon poked his way out of her backpack. "Big sister Rukia!"

She frowned a little more. "What is it, Kon? I told you not to come out until I called you."

"It's hard to breathe in there."

She seemed surprised. "You breathe?"

"Hey. Can't we go home already? It looks like Ichigo wants us to stay low already."

"I told you. If I don't stay nearby we'd be late dealing with it if a Hollow appears. This is also my job."

Kon relaxed in the top of the bag. "Yeah. It's always Hollow, Hollow, Hollow, Hollow with you."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was remembering that day again. Akuma was beside him, with his hands in his pockets and a pair of shades on his face. The white haired boy was frowning at the stone marker and hadn't bothered with offering anything. He just stood there looking down at it.

The rest of their family was standing back, giving them both a bit of room and keeping themselves occupied. Isshin was having fun embarrassing his daughters, as they went about eating lunch a short distance away.

The blond boy just knelt there, looking at the marker. He remembered walking with her, it should have been a good memory. He remembered seeing the girl beside the swollen river. He couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead. It had rained for several days, and the water was dangerous.

He saw the girl jump in. He remembered rushing away to help, his mother calling for him to stop. He remembered going over the edge.

He remembered waking up in a pool of blood, unhurt. His mother was gone, nowhere to be found. Just her blood, and the river. He was alone, afraid, and confused. He'd wandered for hours, desperate, unable to find any trace. Covered in a red coat of thick coppery smelling fluid that was being washed away from his skin by the pouring shower overhead.

"What's with you?" Akuma stood there looking at the marker. His usual grin was gone, replaced with a small frown.

"I took her away from us."

The white haired boy gave a snort. "Don't be stupid. You didn't kill mom. I did."

The blond turned to look at him. His eyes wide. "Wh-what?"

"I was with you that day. Do you remember?" He took his shades off and gave the marker a cold eyed stare. "I was right next to her as well. Watching you smile, holding her hand. She never treated me that way you know. I didn't understand it at the time. I was jealous, I hated you for it, hated her for it. Now I realize, that was why."

Ichigo was on his feet with his fists balled up. "What are you saying?"

"She was getting me ready for...that day." He looked at his brother with a calm stare. "You fucked it up though. Chasing off after that thing by the river."

Ichigo grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "What? What do you mean?"

Akuma just continued to give him the calm eyed stare. "That girl you went after by the river. It was a Hollow. The same one you saw while you were talking to your little Shinigami girlfriend, Riduntina or whatever the hell she's called."

Ichigo let him go. His eyes were wide and his jaw slacked. "Wh-what?"

"It attacked you, but she got in the way. She was hurt pretty bad, and you were out cold. She was a demon, but her power was weakened because of the contract expiring. She never had a chance against that thing." Akuma put his shades back on and motioned for him to follow. "Come on. We should talk."

OooOOooOO

They ended up standing on a cliff overlooking the river far below. Ichigo glared at the white haired boy. "You murdered mom?"

"No. I sacrificed her to open the gate to hell. Her contract was over, she had to go back. It was her last day on this world regardless. She was already dead Ichikun, nothing would have stopped it that day. The only way to go with her, was to open a gateway I could get through. That required a sacrifice."

His brother was shocked. "Wh-what?"

Akuma gave him a dangerous looking glare. "You idiot. You never did get it did you? Opening a gateway to hell requires a sacrifice. Even for Shinigami, the soul burial sacrifices the former Hollow's soul to open the gate. They just don't use it to pass through themselves. It's essentially the same thing."

Ichigo frowned, his fists balled up. "Get what?"

"That Hollow, saved your life. Not intentionally of course, but...indirectly." The white haired teen seemed amused.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo growled, he looked about ready to attack his brother.

"Did you ever think to wonder, where we were going that day? We went by the river on the way home of course, but we were taking the long way that day, in the pouring rain? Don't be an idiot."

Ichigo hung his head, confusion and pain crossed his features. "What?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that our mother is a demon before you get it through that thick skull of yours, Ichikun?" Akuma looked out across the scenery before them. "She was using you, to make me jealous, to make me hate you, to make me angry with you. Do you understand? You weren't intended to survive that day."

The blond boy grabbed him by his collar. "You liar!"

Akuma gave a dangerous looking grin back at him. His eyes were wild and crazed looking. "You idiot. The one we intended to sacrifice to open the gate to Hell for me...was you. She had shown be how to perform the ritual a few days before. Told me that I was to kill you, and showed me how to do it."

Akuma was sprawled out across the grass. Ichigo had punched him across his jaw and now stood over him glaring down with a rage in his eyes. "Shut up!"

His brother kept talking on the ground. "You know, we used to have a dog. He vanished just before Mom did. Do you remember? We told you he ran away? He didn't. She used him to show me what to do when the time came. Don't tell me you forgot about Kobu already."

Ichigo fell to his knees. His eyes were wide in horror. "You're...lying..." He clutched at his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

Akuma sat up and put his arm over one of his knees. "Mom was hurt by that monster, but it didn't kill her. You were out cold, and I couldn't drag you both to the altar. So, I used her instead. You're a lucky guy, you know that?"

Ichigo glared at him with a wild rage in his eyes. "You're telling me you murdered my mother?"

His brother shook his head. "Not really. I told you, she was already dead. Her contract with Dad was over. She had to go back, no matter what either of us did." He stood up and dusted off his knees. "As much fun as it would be to watch you wallow and suffer in your own guilty misery. I'm afraid I can't allow it. It only makes you stay weak, and pathetic. You're no use to me like that." He put on his shades again. "Stop beating yourself up about this. It makes it less fun to beat you up myself, because you think you deserve it."

"You're lying!" Ichigo was in tears and gripping the grass between his fingers.

Akuma shook his head. "Well, I am a demon. I prefer that side to my human side. Still, lying now doesn't help me any. Mom, wasn't what you think she was, and you were meant to think that. Now though, it just makes you weak. It's in the way, as much as I enjoy tasting those feelings. I'm afraid it won't do me any good in the long run. Get over it. It wasn't your fault. She was doomed that day from the beginning. Her deal had ended, and it was time for her to go home. She didn't have a choice in the matter."

Ichigo looked up at him with stern eyes. He couldn't think of anything to say.

Akuma shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned at him. "Neither did I. You see, I was part of the deal. Dad got to keep you, because that Hollow interfered. Dad never knew, but he was only meant to keep Yuzu and Karin. You were the sacrifice to get me into hell from the very beginning. You're just like me, a demon, a monster. You're not even human you idiot. You just think that you are. Sooner or later, I'll shove the truth down your throat. You can't stop it, you can't deny it, you're not a man. I'm patient, and sooner or later, your true self will come out. I'll make sure of it."

Ichigo was snarling at him, clutching at the earth in front of him. "Shut up!"

His brother just chuckled. "You want it, and you know it. I can feel your anger, your hatred, your thirst for power. That Shinigami can't give you what you want, only I can. You know it, you can feel it. See you around, Brother. Your old friend the Hollow is still nearby." His face became serious. "You'd better get moving. That way." He nodded away from the scene towards a path.

"I'll kill you!" Ichigo growled and balled up his fists as he stood up and glared at his brother in a rage.

"You don't have time. Save those feelings, you'll need them in a little while. Can't you feel it?" Akuma snorted and glanced at him.

"What are you...?" His brother's face fell a little. "No! Karin! Yuzu!" He dashed off.

OooOOooOO

Karin frowned as she stood with Yuzu. She glanced over her shoulder at the young girl standing on the edge of a skinny cliff. "What? What's that kid doing over there?"

Yuzu seemed confused and looked about. "Huh? Where?"

Her sister jogged off towards the girl. "Wait a sec."

"Karin? Where?"

The ghost was wearing a cloak and had short cut black hair. Karin walked up to her. "Hey. What are you doing looking over that cliff? The head priest lives down that hill. So, if you've got something you regret, go there."

The spirit turned her head to look at her. "You, can see me?"

The raven haired girl nodded. "Yeah. I'm one of those who can see. Don't go telling people. It's embarrassing."

The spirit grinned. "You can hear my voice as well? How very wonderful. Very...tasty."

Karin's eyes went wide as something appeared behind her. "Eh? What the?"

Yuzu was jogging over. "Yuzu? What's wrong? Let's get going."

Her sister seemed frozen in horror. "Don't come any closer!" She stared at the thing before her. "What are you? That...thing behind you?"

The girl's smile grew even wider. "You can see that much? How wonderful!"

OooOOooOO

Rukia gasped as she stood up and looked around. She could feel the presence of a Hollow. "What?"

Kon seemed to realize something was up. "What? Sister Rukia? What is it?"

She ignored him and frowned. "It can't be...the order would have come by..." Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out as she started moving. "Damn."

She stopped as she slammed into a familiar chest. Rukia staggered back. "What? You!? Get ou..."

Akuma was smiling as he grabbed her shoulder with a hand full of electrical power. She screamed and fell to her knees in front of him. "Sorry. Not this time. You can play with Ichikun later."

She struggled to rise. "Bastard. What are you...?"

He took off his sunglasses and smiled at her in a familiar way. His smug looking grin had been mostly absent that day. "I keep telling you you're in the way. Ichikun isn't a Shinigami, and I would never allow him to become such a weak being. I don't mind loaning him to you for a bit, but he's not going to remain your pawn forever."

Rukia growled and grabbed at his shirt from her knees, trying to pull herself to her feet. "You...said you wouldn't...interfere."

Akuma nodded. "This isn't Shinigami business. It's a personal matter. Our family has history with this one. It's time my brother realized that he doesn't need you, or those stupid powers of yours. This is the perfect opportunity for him to realize it." He shoved her in the chest and sent her onto her rear.

Kon sounded alarmed. "Big Sister Rukia!" He looked up at Akuma in confusion. "Why?"

The white haired boy put his sunglasses back on. "Don't worry, Kon. She's not seriously hurt. I just need to make sure she stays out of the way. Ichikun won't be killed by such a pathetic creature. Though, it should be interesting to watch." He grabbed the backpack and lifted her onto her feet, holding her up. "Come on. Let's go watch. I want to make sure Yuzu and Karin don't get in the way anyway. That would be bothersome. It's bad enough he's acting this pathetic because of Mom. I don't want to add to the problem."

OooOOooOO

Karin screamed as she was pinned down in front of Yuzu on the ground under the creature's claw. "No! Yuzu! Don't come any closer!"

Her sister rushed up and fell to her knees beside her. "Karin! Karin!" She grabbed for her, but found something on top of her she couldn't see. "There's something on top of..."

The creature sent a tentacle and wrapped it around the brunette girl's neck. She was lifted off the ground.

The monster spoke as it lifted her up to look at her from the tentacle from the markings on the side of it's mask. "Trash like you isn't even a snack. You are an eyesore! I'll eat you first!"

It paused as a blur came into view in front of it. Ichigo appeared and kicked the monster dead in the center of it's mask. The giant head flew back and it staggered off of Karin.

The boy pushed off the mask and grabbed Yuzu as he sailed back and landed just beside Karin. He lifted both girls into his arms and frowned. "Damn. Where the hell is Rukia?" Both girls had passed out.

The monster snarled at him. "Who the hell?" It shook it's head. "Heh. More? How wonderful! I'm going to be so full!"

Ichigo staggered back, but froze as he felt himself bump into someone. He gasped and turned. "Rukia?"

Akuma frowned at him. "I'm afraid not. She won't be coming."

The blond boy just blinked as his brother took Karin and Yuzu off his hands. He was so stunned he didn't resist. "What? This thing...It's a..."

His brother turned and started walking away. "Yup. I sort of paralyzed her. She'll be fine, and you're on your own. I'll take care of these two."

"What?" Ichigo looked shocked.

"Where do you think you're going?!" The monster lashed out with several tentacles at the pair. Ichigo was caught around his throat and was dragged back.

Akuma shifted aside, seeming to blur in the air. He glanced back and frowned. "I'm too big for you to chew. Play with this one. Heh." He walked a short ways down the path before setting the two girls down. He walked into the woods, gave a grunt of effort out of view, and a huge boulder landed behind him in the path entrance. The only way out of the small cliff side clearing was blocked. "Good luck, Ichikun. Heh."

Ichigo struggled and gasped and kicked his feet while gripping the thing that was wrapped around his neck. "Bastard!"

OooOOooOO

Just off the path to the clearing. Akuma set Yuzu and Karin down behind a rock. Rukia was still frozen, and glowered at him in anger. Kon looked worried. "Ichigo!"

The white haired boy chuckled. "These two will be fine here. Come on. I want a good seat for this." He grabbed Rukia by her backpack.

She was very pissed. "You asshole!"

He gave her a light painless kick in the ribs. "Quit griping. I could have just left you sitting behind that rock you know."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was having problems of his own. He was hanging from the monster's grip, growling in rage. "You! I remember you! You were there six years ago! Why are you hanging around this Hollow? Are you his crony?"

The monster chuckled. "Six years? My memory doesn't go that far. You're wrong, on both...wait...you're..."

The blond boy in his grip grunted as he pulled at the thing wrapped around his neck with his hands. It tore away, being ripped like cloth as he dropped to the ground. His face was a serious frown, and an aura of energy burned around him. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to kick your ass. I'm in a really bad mood today, and it's kind of nice I've found something to take it out on!"

The child like thing looked alarmed. "You? What the hell are you?"

Ichigo gave him a dangerous looking grin. "Pissed." He rushed forward and punched at the girl, sending her flying back into the face of the monster. She bounced off it as if she'd struck a wall and slumped down. The monster shook it's head and looked up. "No!"

Ichigo landed fist first into it's forehead. The monster was sent up on it's hind legs and grunted in pain. It slashed at him as he came down. Ichigo spun in mid air and kicked his leg across the thing's forearm. There was a snapping sound and the monster howled in rage and pain.

The child split open on the ground, revealing a puppet like monster inside. A tongue like protrusion slipped out of it's head to attach itself to the larger monster's forehead. The outer skin hung under the puppet thing as it was lifted off the ground. "You! I'll destroy you!"

Ichigo glared at it, his irises started to glow with a red power for a moment. "I told you already. I'm going to kick your ass!"

The monster stomped on three of it's feet. It shook it's injured claw and it snapped back into place before setting it back down on the ground. "You're lucky you've caught me off guard! Now that you've seen this form, I can't let you go without eating your soul!"

The boy balled up his fists and set his feet. He was trapped in the clearing, the boulder blocked the only exit, and the monster now had his back to the edge of the cliff. For some reason, he didn't mind that much.

"Well, aren't you collected?" The monster seemed amused. "How is someone as puny as you, going to fight me without a weapon? Huh? You're going to beat me with your bare hands? Heh."

Ichigo just gave a nod and smirked. "That's right."

The monster reared it's head back and laughed. It was short lived as it flew back into the tree line, cracking the trunks of several trees in its wake. "Ooof!"

The boy was standing with his arm extended and a frown on his face after his punch. "What's so funny?"

The creature snarled. "I'll destroy you!" It rushed forward slashing its claws.

Ichigo hopped around the strikes for a moment, but took a blow across his chest. He flew back into the trees, taking one out as he hit it shoulders first. The entire trunk fell over on top of him.

The monster seemed annoyed. "Ugh. Now I'll have to dig him out before I...What?!"

Ichigo shoved the tree trunk aside and stood up. He shook his head and dusted off his pants. "Ouch." He took a moment to pop his shoulders and worked his neck. After that, he strolled forward. "All right. Nice shot."

The monster became quiet for a moment. "..." Ichigo jumped towards him in in kick. The creature shot straight up into the air about twenty feet. The boy landed creating a crater in the ground in his wake, pushed out of it and sailed up to meet the monster in the air.

It's claw shout out, extending at the arm to shoot by the blond as he twisted around it. The boy flipped on top of it, and ran up the side of the arm screaming in rage as he cocked back his fist.

The beast's fur exploded outwards like a star, creating enough drag to keep it airborne and shooting tendrils of it into the boy. The blond was thrown into the ground on his back by the wave of hair and created another impact crater in his wake.

Ichigo grunted as blood flew from between his lips as he had the wind knocked out of him. He struggled against the oncoming waves of fur as it swarmed around him, wrapping him up.

"Ichigo! No!" He heard Rukia's voice from nearby.

"Damn!" He struggled to push himself to his feet in a crouch within the mass of fur.

The monster landed nearby and growled. "I have you!" It grunted in surprise at it flew off it's feet, and flipped over the boy, landing face first in yet another very large impact crater. The monster stayed face first in the earth for a long moment, letting out a groan as it slumped over onto it's side.

Ichigo had grabbed the fur that was wrapped around him, and tossed the monster over his shoulder. The boy was gasping for breath with a rage in his eyes. He charged forward snarling as he cocked his arm back again.

The monster hadn't recovered yet, but managed to swipe at him with it's claw. "Charging at me that way? You're strong, but foolish."

The boy's forearm blocked the strike, but just as it happened, the fingers extended and impaled his chest and belly in five places.

Ichigo's eyes went wide as he growled in pain and staggered to keep on his feet for a moment.

"You're dead. I've pierced your heart boy. That isn't a spirit form, and there's no way any human can survive such a wound. It doesn't matter how tough you are." The monster chuckled. "You're finished."

The boy glowered at the monster's mask. "Who ever said...I was human?" He grabbed the monster's wrist and squeezed.

The beast howled in anger and pain as the bones inside snapped. It jumped back away from him, pulling the claws out. "What? What are you?"

Ichigo's chest was bloody, and half his face was covered in blood from a gash on his forehead. His irises glowed with a dull red power as he glared at the thing. "I'm as much a monster as you are."

The beast growled. "It doesn't matter. You're going to die."

The boy screamed as he charged forward with his fist cocked back. This time the monster was ready for him. It raked out with it's claws extended again, this time going for his neck.

Ichigo shifted his weight and ducked under the strike before pushing himself fist first into the monster's mask where his nose should have been.

The hairy creature was knocked back onto it's hind legs again, but this time, the blood covered blond boy pushed into his chest with his leg extended in a vicious kick. The monster tumbled across the ground rolling over itself a few times before slamming into the side of another tree. When it lifted it's head, there was a crack on it's mask. "This...can't be!"

The boy's wounds were still bloody, but the holes had closed up. He stood frowning at the monster with a rage in his eyes. Once again he charged, only to skid to a stop.

His mother was hanging from the creature's tentacle in front of it. She was smiling at him. Ichigo's jaw dropped as he staggered back. "What?"

The monster grinned at him. "Heh. No matter how cool and collected. Everyone has someone they would never strike." It raised it's claw. "I'll bet you're wondering how I know this face?" The extended claws poked out again. "I used these, to probe your memories."

This time, it was Akuma's voice from the wood. "Ichigo. Do you really think that's what our Mother looks like? Don't be an idiot. Kick his ass."

The creature growled and glanced towards the tree line. "Eh? Still here? Good, more to eat later." It felt itself jerk to the side suddenly and howled as it flew over the boy's head once again and landed back first near the edge of the cliff. The monster scrambled back onto it's feet. "What the?"

Ichigo was holding the headless doll in his hands. He frowned at it and scrunched up his eyebrow. "She tried to kill me you know. I love her, she's my mom. Still, I just found out a little while ago that she was planning to murder me. It wasn't the best choice on your part to bring that back up."

The monster glared at him and narrowed it's eyes. The woman's head was dangling from it's tentacle, with rolled up eyes and a slacked jaw. "N-no way!"

The blond boy tossed the body aside off the cliff and balled up his fist. "Now you've gone, and really pissed me off." His aura was twice as bright as it had been at any point before.

The beast lunged at him and attempted to land with both claws pinning him down.

Ichigo grabbed them both at the wrist and snapped the bones inside again. He knew the monster would fix them if he gave him even a moment. Rather than drop the thing, he slammed his head into the thing's giant forehead. The beast tried to bite him, but it's neck snapped back from the head butt.

The blond boy didn't waste a moment. He flipped back into a kick under the monster's jaw. It was sent sprawling onto its back. It spent a moment floundering, but gasped as it managed to look up.

Ichigo was descending from above with his arms wrapped around one of the fallen trees. He slammed the bottom of the trunk dead into the center of the mask's forehead, and what was under it was squashed like a melon. The mask cracked into several pieces and crumbled away from what was left of the face.

The boy landed gasping for breath as he stood ankle deep in the fur on the thing's belly. He shoved the tree trunk sideways and it groaned as it landed in the dirt, leaving the branches hanging over the side of the cliff.

Without a word, the blond boy jumped off the monster's chest as it evaporated away into dust and blew into the wind. He squeezed his eyes shut, groaned in pain, and fell to his knees in the dirt. Every part of his body ached, he felt like his skin was on fire, and his mouth was dry and cracked. "Ouch."

Akuma walked out of the tree line with Rukia beside him. He had a smirk on his face and was almost glaring at his brother. "Well. Do you feel better, Ichikun?"

He frowned at the white haired boy. "I feel like shit. I hurt all over...but, yeah. I kind of do."

Rukia's jaw was hanging, her eyes were wide, and she'd gone pale. More than she'd been before. "N-no way."

The half demon glanced at her and smirked. "Next time, you can let him use that sword. Think of this as training. He'll be needing it, after you leave. You can't let him stay a Shinigami forever you know."

The girl staggered back away from him and landed on her rear.

Kon was hanging over her shoulder looking just as amazed. "Wow! Big Brother Ichigo! That was...awesome!"

The blond boy frowned and grunted. "It kind of sucked. Remind me never to try and fight one of those things bare handed again."

Rukia's brow furrowed. "You're lucky to be alive idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!"

He looked away. "You weren't around. Yuzu and Karin were in danger. I couldn't just stand there." He stood up and dusted off his pants. "You tried to kill me you prick!"

Akuma arched his eyebrows. "I didn't. I knew you could handle it. You won didn't you?" He crossed his arms and turned away.

"I'm gonna kick your ass for this!" Ichigo grabbed his shirt and pulled his face up to his.

Akuma poked him in the chest with his finger and the boy fell on his back in pain. "Maybe later. I'm looking forward to it. Why do you think I did this in the first place moron?"

Ichigo turned his eyes away and sat up again. "Right. Tomorrow then. I'm so sore I can barely move."

Kon had managed to climb onto Akuma's shoulder. "So, this is training for big brother Ichigo then? To make him strong, like big brother Akuma?"

The white haired boy nodded. "Well, I wouldn't go quite that far yet. Still, he's getting there. Sooner or later he'll give me a work out. He's still got a bit more work to do for that though."

"Asshole." Ichigo seemed annoyed.

His brother nodded and started walking away. There was enough room to squeeze around the boulder and he shoved it aside into the tree line with a push from both hands and a small grunt. "Yeah. Come on. Dad's probably worried. We should get Yuzu and Karin back. Oh. Hello."

Both girls were looking at the scene from just behind the boulder. They had very wide eyes. Kon ducked behind his head and hung from the back of his hair. Rukia managed to move close enough and opened the bag for him to slip into behind Akuma's back.

Ichigo seemed annoyed. "Uh oh."

Rukia frowned at them. "How much of that did you see?"

Karin worked her mouth. Yuzu was holding onto her side. "Um. Well..."

"Most of it I'd guess. Well, Karin did. Yuzu couldn't see that monster. I imagine she noticed you tossing that tree about though."

The blond boy gave a heavy sigh. "My clothes are a mess! How am I going to explain this to dad?"

Akuma shrugged. "Tell him we had a match. To work off our frustration and all. No big deal. You've come home bloodier than that before." He smiled and slapped his brother on the shoulder. Ichigo winced in pain and growled at him. "Now that you're this far along, I can start breaking bones again! I'm so pleased! You've not been this good since we were kids! You're stronger now of course, but only because you're older."

His brother went a little pale. "What?!"

Karin choked for a minute. "What was that thing?"

Rukia frowned. "Hell if I know." She looked away and seemed annoyed.

The raven haired girl blinked. "You...can see...ghosts?"

She nodded and didn't offer any more information.

Akuma smiled at her. "Yeah. That's what got them interested in each other. Destined love and all that."

Ichigo tried to lunge at him, but ended up staggering and holding his shoulder. "Shut the hell up! We're not dating!"

"Give up...Honey." Rukia had to struggle a bit to get it out. She put on a fake looking sad face. "You're going to make me think you're embarrassed about me!"

The blond boy glowered at her. "I hate you."

She put his arm around her shoulder. "Whatever." She knew the monster was called 'Grand Fisher' and that it had a large bounty on it. The group all staggered away.

Akuma hung back as Karin and Yuzu wandered a bit ahead of them towards where their father was waiting. He leaned in to Ichigo and Rukia and whispered in a low voice towards the girl.

"You leave their memory alone Shinigami. Those two are Akkijin as well. Getting rid of Shinigami business when a human notices is one thing. They need to learn to control their powers as well. You can't hide the supernatural world from them."

Ichigo frowned at him. "You keep your hands off them. Beating up on me is one thing..."

The white haired boy frowned. "Don't be so foolish. They're female. They'll take care of it on their own when the time is right. We don't need to do a thing. I don't want this one thinking she can screw with their memories every time they see a Hollow or a Shinigami either. They aren't classed as humans, and you've got no jurisdiction to alter their memories. I'd rather they didn't get involved with Shinigami affairs myself. I was willing to look the other way in the past as you didn't know any better. I'd better not catch you trying to alter their memories again. You'll just have to be careful in the future. Get me?"

"Yeah. I get it." Rukia narrowed her eyes and nodded.

Akuma chuckled. "Don't look so down. I'm not outside my rights, and I'm not getting in the way of your duties. Just don't think I'm picking yours over mine." He strolled ahead of them.

Karin walked beside him with Yuzu between them. It was obvious he still made her uncomfortable. "What was that thing anyway?"

The white haired boy glanced at her. "It's a Hollow. Don't worry. They're kind of rare. When you get bigger, you won't have trouble dealing with them. Even then, it's best to just avoid them if you can."

Yuzu looked up at him. "Oh. So, she'll be like Ichigo someday?" She looked a little disappointed.

Akuma chuckled. "Huh? I didn't just mean her you know. Both of you are half demon. You won't be like Ichigo, no. You'll have your own way of dealing with this sort of thing. Still, you'll be fine. You shouldn't bother Hollows or other spirits on this plane. By the time you're grown up, they won't be able to hurt you though."

Yuzu looked surprised. "I can't even see spirits though!"

Karin crossed her arms. "It's not that great. That thing was ugly as Hell."

The white haired boy shook his head. "No. Hell is much uglier than that. Don't worry, little sister. Your power will be different. You'll be able to see spirits when you get older. Perhaps not as well as Karin. She's very sensitive. That's both a strength and a weakness."

Karin frowned at him. "What's that mean?"

Akuma scratched his head. "It's too much trouble to explain. Don't worry about it now. You'll get it when you're older."

Ichigo was walking along well, but still hanging off of Rukia a little. "Come on. Dad's probably worried. We should hurry or we'll never hear the end of it."

Akuma nodded. "If Dad asks, just tell him you decided to watch the two of us have a match. It's best if he doesn't hear about the monster. I don't want him to worry needlessly, and it's too much trouble to explain. Don't forget, he's human. Hollows can be very dangerous for humans. It's better for everyone if we don't say anything about that thing to anyone else. Believe me."

Yuzu looked confused. "Oh. I guess."

Karin pulled down the rim of her cap. "He's right. Come on. Just...keep quiet about that monster." She wasn't planning on saying anything at all if she wasn't asked directly. Even if she was, she knew a white lie was a her best option.

"Considering he's the one who's all bloodied up. It's best if we say that I won. Just to keep our story straight." Akuma smiled at them.

Ichigo looked annoyed. "What? Hey!"

Rukia poked at his belly and he crumpled forward holding it in pain. "He's right. It would seem weird if you're all beat up and he's the one who lost. Just forget about it. You should all get your story straight."

He didn't look to feel any better. "Fine. I guess I get the point."

Yuzu put her finger up to her lips. "Can I tell him about the part where big brother Ichigo threw that tree? That was cool!"

Karin looked annoyed. "What? No!"

Akuma interrupted. "That's fine. Don't worry little sister. He knows we're half demon. I used to slap Ichigo around all the time when we were kids. Mom and Dad both knew about it. He won't be that surprised."

The raven haired eleven year old nodded and hung her head. "Fine. I guess." She still didn't trust him, and he felt off to her. Still, he wasn't as bad as he'd been. She was getting used to having him around, and didn't think he was all that bad anymore. She still didn't want to stand right next to him. It felt like he would put a knife in her back the moment she turned away from him.

She smirked as she looked over her shoulder and found Ichigo hanging back with his new girlfriend. It was pretty cool in her mind. She seemed like someone she could get to like. Plus, she knew about his family seeing spirits, and that he was half demon, and didn't seem to mind at all. She seemed like a tough girl, and she was looking forward to talking with her more later. For now, she could leave the two of them alone. She was helping Ichigo stay on his feet, and he was embarrassed. It was kind of cute.

She was also wondering what the hell that thing that had crawled out of the girl's backpack was. It looked like a plushy, and had tried to sneak back into the bag after Akuma had moved that giant boulder before they'd noticed it. "Weird."

Still, considering how the rest of her day had gone. It wasn't that bad. As far as she was concerned, it would be best to just forget about most of it.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: Ichigo vs. The spiritual idiot.


	5. Chapter 5

The Devil's Bleached Tears

Part 5

The fall of innocence.

OooOOooOO

Another month had passed in Karakura town, summer was upon it.

The evening had come, darkness covered the sky as the moon gave little light. It was just a thin sliver in the sky above an ancient sake factory. The air was warm, and humid, and the sound of frogs chirping was the only noise outside the old building.

It was a post World War building, brick and mortar, over the site of a much older and long destroyed facility. It had been used for the same purpose for hundreds of years.

That night, things were different. Two figures, both dressed in hoods walked past the security gate. One was tall and thin, the other short and thin. Both wore masks, black and gray with no markings and only two holes for eyes.

In their wake, the bodies of three men were lying about the security post at the gate, pools of blood surrounded them.

The shorter of the pair looked at the bodies for a moment as they passed and shuddered.

The taller one glanced back. "Come on. It's dangerous to linger." His tone was quiet and gentle.

They moved towards the building together and stood in front of the entrance. The shorter figure was looking back over her shoulder, back at the dead men.

"It was necessary. If you intend to get what you want, you'll have to get used to it." The taller one sounded a little firm.

His companion just nodded and remained at his side. "Yes." She spoke in a quiet tone and pulled her cloak around her shoulders a little more.

The taller of the pair kicked the door in front of him in. An energy formed around his palm as he put his hand over the alarm system's key pad. It sparked and sputtered, growing silent after just a short shriek. "Come."

The pair looked about the room. It was open and spacious, bottles lined shelves on the walls, large tables and vats filled the floor, and bags of rice were stacked on one end by a bay door. The door to a small office on the opposite wall opened giving the room a little more light.

"What? Nara? Takagome? Is that...?" An old man staggered out and froze, the light within the room behind him casting a shadow. He stared at the two people in front of him. He was dressed in traditional robes, and had a walking stick holding his weight as he walked out to discover the source of the disturbance."What? Who are you? What do you want?"

The taller one raised his hand, a handgun was pointed at the old man. "Where is the basement?"

The old man narrowed his eyes. "What? The basement? Why..." His voice trailed off. Both of the figures in front of him had glowing red eyes. "No! It...can't be!"

A young man of about twenty five walked out of the office. He had short, neat cut hair, and was wearing a suit. "Father, what is it? I want to finish these reports for the quarter. It's late, and Shiki will be getting..."

The smaller of the two intruders was behind the younger of the pair in an instant. He froze like the old man as he felt something sharp poking into his back. "What? No! Please! The safe is in the office! I'll..."

The old man frowned at him. "These two, do not seek our money."

The taller of the two intruders nodded. "I'm afraid not. I'll ask one more time, the basement. Where is it?"

The old man frowned and gripped his walking stick. "I'd rather d..."

A sharp report filled the room. He slumped down with a hole in the center of his forehead.

"Father! No!" The younger of the pair started to rush towards him as he fell. He stopped cold as the younger of the two intruders slashed at his throat and staggered back holding his arms up to protect himself.

The taller of the pair stopped her arm before she finished. "No."

The short masked figure lowered her head and backed away. The taller one backhanded the man in the face with the butt of his gun. The man blacked out before he hit the ground.

OooOOooOO

When he woke up, he was on his back. They were in the basement, or rather, below it. He groaned and shook his head. "What? Where?" He couldn't move his arms or legs, and he could see the shattered remains of one of the brick walls. Casks of sake lined the walls on the other side of the hole. Candles burned around him, as he found himself lying on top of an altar of some sort in a hidden room. "Where am I? What's going on? What is this place?" Beside the stone slab he was tied down against, was a large boulder with ancient looking Shinto wards tied around it.

The tall masked figure put his hand on the shorter one's shoulder. "Now, you may kill him."

The man's eyes went wide. The younger of the two raised a knife over her head and glared at him with glowing red eyes. "No! Nooo!" It plunged into his chest and he shook and foamed at the mouth as it pierced his heart. The short figure hopped on top of his chest, pulled the knife out, and slashed across his neck before hopping down off the altar to watch his final spasms. He looked at the mask with pain and confusion on his face. "Why?"

The taller one spoke up. "Because a sacrifice was needed to break the seal."

Their victim's head rolled back and he struggled to take his last breath and failed. Behind the altar, the great stone boulder cracked, and then split, the candles blew out as a foul stale smelling air rushed out from what was under it.

The pair became bathed in total darkness.

A horrible graveled voice spoke out of the shadows. "What? Who dares disturb my slumber?"

A male voice spoke up from the pitch blackness. "Dares? Come now. We've gone to a lot of trouble to let you out you know. Show a little gratitude."

A pair of very large glowing yellow eyes appeared before the two masked figures. "Humans? You have set me free?"

The man spoke up again. "Humans? Don't be foolish. No human would let you out."

The deep voice spoke up with a hiss in his tone. Two pairs of glowing red eyes were looking back at him. "Oh. I see. I thought you tasted a little off. Then again, it's been a long time. I've been sealed under this rock for centuries."

The taller of the two masked intruders nodded. "I'm aware. Don't go thinking this is free. I want something of you, a favor."

The creature took a moment to pause. "Speak, and I shall consider it."

"This is an order." The taller of the pair gave a chuckle. "Don't look at me like that, this is over my head. I'm just a tool this time. A means to an end."

The beast gave an angry sounding hiss. "Speak quickly, lest I lose my patience. I'd have killed you already if you did not smell of my own kind."

The tall figure chuckled. "Ichigo Kurosaki."

The monster narrowed it's eyes. "I do not know this name. I take it you want him dead?"

The demon who had freed him nodded. "I know. It's not him we wish to see dead. Rather, the Shinigami who is with him. He won't die easily, feel free to be as rough as you like with him. He's weak, but even you would find killing him difficult. The girl, Rukia, she must die. She's in the way, and our plans are being delayed because of the bothersome bitch. The Kurosaki child is needed, and he's been tricked into posing as a Shinigami. If you find Kurosaki, she will be nearby. She's lost her powers, and has no defense against something like you apart from him."

The yellow eyes narrowed. "I see. Shinigami?"

The tall figure nodded. "Yes. We cannot be connected with this death. You're something of a free agent. Do this, and you're free to do as you please. I won't be bothering you again. Take your time with this, there's no real hurry. He'll be along, I'll make sure of it. Just don't kill any Hollows you find around here, we'll be using them as bait in the future. They won't bother with something like you anyway."

The creature hissed at him again. "Very well. Once this is done, I owe you nothing." Seven more pairs of glowing yellow eyes opened around the first pair.

The tall figure nodded. "Yes. I have no further use for you beyond it. Just remember, Kurosaki is not to be killed. We still have need of him in our plans." He took the girl at his side's hand and walked towards the exit. She looked back at the monster as it watched them leave.

He looked down at her and spoke in a soft and gentle tone. "You did well, Yuzu."

The girl removed her mask and smiled at him. "I'll be able to see Mom again? I'll be able to talk to her?"

Akuma removed his mask as well and knelt down beside her with a grin on his face. "Yes. Soon, we'll both get to see her again. She'll be very proud of you."

"I could see him! It was cool!" She looked very pleased. "I'll be able to see spirits like Ichigo and Karin?"

Her older brother chuckled. "It will come to you in time. He's kind of hard to miss. Sooner or later, you'll be able to see them just as well as they can. Don't worry."

"I'll be able to talk to Mom again soon? Like you showed me?"

Her brother nodded. "Yeah. Don't forget, you can't tell Ichigo, Karin, Dad, or anyone about any of this. You're special, more than you think. Mom wants to see you very much."

Yuzu giggled. "Yeah. She told me! She told me she was proud of me! One day, I'll be stronger than Karin and Ichigo, better than them, even though I'm weak now!" She hung her head and frowned. "I wish we could have talked longer."

Akuma nodded. "Yes. That's a long way away though. You've got to be careful, and act normal until the time is right. This is a big secret. If anyone finds out about this too soon, it could ruin everything. Mom might not be able to see us again like we planned. Don't worry. You'll see her though." He shook her shoulder. "I'm afraid the best we can do for now is talk with her for a moment or two. It's not something we can do a lot of either. Maybe once or twice a month, depending on the lunar cycle. Don't forget that part, it's very important."

The girl lowered her eyes and nodded. "I...understand."

Her brother nodded. "I hope so. You don't want to make Mom angry. If you want to see her, you've got to make a good impression. We can't get caught, no one can find out until the time is right. Don't forget, and don't worry. I'll help you out."

Yuzu flushed and nodded. "Thanks, big brother."

Akuma smiled. "That's my little sister. Too bad about Karin, she's too sensitive and it makes her weak." He rubbed on her head and took her by the shoulder as they both put their masks back on and walked towards the exit, and into the night once again.

It was almost too easy with her. Her jealousy of Karin and Ichigo, and her desire to see her mother again made manipulating her almost effortless. He'd started her on sacrificing a few rats, what she considered unpleasant things to talk with her mother. Then a few weeks later, he'd given her a puppy for the same purpose. Now, she'd killed a man.

It was already too late for her to turn back. Everything was going according to plan.

She smiled at him. "I'm getting stronger aren't I?"

He nodded at her. "Yes you are, little sister."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was leaning out his window with Kon in his grip. He was slamming him against the wall outside, knocking the dirt off him.

"Ouch! Cut it out! What are you doing?" The plushy was complaining about it.

The strawberry blond frowned at him as he continued. "You're dirty. I'm beating you clean."

The stuffed animal wasn't pleased. "Jerk! There are other ways to clean me!"

Ichigo continued to slap him against the wall anyway.

Rukia spoke up. "Ichigo, cut it out. If you need an implement to clean him, I've arranged."

"Big sister Rukia! I knew..." Kon froze up as he saw her.

The boy looked over his shoulder. "Huh?" The girl was standing with a long toilet brush in her hands.

She tossed Kon to the ground and started rubbing at him with the brush with her foot on top of him. His position had not improved any.

Ichigo looked surprised. "Hey! Isn't that one of the school's toilet brushes?"

She frowned at him. "Yeah? So?"

The boy looked annoyed with her. "Take it back!"

Akuma walked into the room and looked back and fourth. Kon was lying on the ground. He shook his head and looked at Ichigo. "Hey. Don't be so strict."

His brother whirled around and jabbed his finger at him. "Who asked you? I'm not being strict, it's common sense!"

The raven haired girl gave a small sigh. "I guess. How are we going to clean him then?"

Akuma picked the plushy off the ground. "Big brother! You saved me!"

The white haired boy looked at him. "Throw him in the washing machine of course."

Kon tensed up. "What?"

Ichigo's brother shrugged. "What? You're just the sort of thing it was designed to clean up, right?"

Rukia slapped her palm. "Right! That's perfect!"

OooOOooOO

Kon wasn't sure what to make of what had happened to him. He was very hot, but also dry. The plushy had managed to force the dryer door open, and stumbled about in the laundry room looking dizzy and dazed. "Oohh. My head. I think I'm going to be sick!" He wasn't sure if he even could get sick, but he was pretty sure that had really sucked. He couldn't remember more than a few flashes.

First, he'd nearly drowned, getting pulled and tangled in the mass of clothes that had been tossed in with him. Then, he'd been hot air dried being slapped around by the same clothes, and belted all over his body from every side as he tumbled about inside the burning air machine.

As it was, he fell face first onto the floor and stayed there for a moment. "How can they treat me like this? Aren't I their companion? Their equal?"

It was then that he found himself lifted into the air by his leg. He didn't dare move and hung limp as he found himself looking a pair of brown eyes. Yuzu cocked her head and smiled. "Oh. It's a stuffed animal." She seemed to think on it for a moment. "Hey. I remember this thing." She set it down on top of the dryer and set the vacuum cleaner aside.

Kon wasn't moving, and was worried a great deal. "I'm in deep shit."

The girl poked his belly. "What's wrong with you?"

The plushy got irate, but still didn't move. He was having worried thoughts though. "Huh? Wrong? Are my seams pulling or something?"

Yuzu giggled and sat him up on his rear. "I know you can move you know. We saw you talking with my brothers and Ichigo's girlfriend when we visited mom and got attacked by that monster."

Kon was sweating bullets. "Huh?"

"What the heck are you anyway? It's a little weird." The girl leaned on her elbows and peered at him. "They put you into the wash to clean you up? I guess you were pretty dirty before."

The plushy wasn't sure what to say or do. He sat up and looked at her. "Um...you saw?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I'm part demon you know. It's not that big a deal I guess."

Kon was shaking a bit. "Oh. Well, I'm not really supposed to tell anyone. I'm sort of a secret."

Yuzu gave him a cute giggle. "It's a little weird, but it's pretty cool."

The plushy looked amazed. "C-cool?"

"Why are you hiding though?" She seemed confused.

Kon scratched his head. "Well, no one is supposed to know about me..."

The girl cocked her head. "Why though? I mean, Dad was married to a demon, Karin can see ghosts, and everyone but Dad is half demon. What's the big deal about you?"

The plushy cocked his head. "Well, it's complicated."

Karin stuck her head into the room. "Yuzu? Who are you talking to...oh. That thing again?" She walked into the room and straightened a ball cap on her head as she frowned at the thing. "What is that? Where did you find it? I haven't seen it since that monster showed up. I figured it was Ichigo's girlfriend's pet or something."

Kon shook his head. "I am not a 'pet'!"

The dark haired girl looked at it. "What are you then?"

Yuzu shrugged at her twin. "He says he can't say."

Karin picked him up by his arm and looked him over. "Is it possessed or something?"

Kon opened his mouth, closed it, and put his paw up to his chin. "Well. Yeah. Kind of."

Yuzu seemed impressed. "Neat!"

"So, you're some dead guy? What are you doing here?" The more serious twin frowned at him and seemed to inspect him a little closer.

"No. Not really. I'm alive, but I've never died before. I'm not really a ghost." Kon seemed to relax a little more as he found himself on top of the washing machine again as she set him down.

The dark haired girl nodded. "You're some kind of demon then? A friend of Akuma's?"

The plushy shook his head. "No. I'm not a demon. Akuma is my friend though. He's usually nice to me." He frowned a bit as he recalled just who brought up the washing machine.

Karin cocked her head. "So, what the heck are you?"

Kon moved his foot about and put his paws behind his back. "Well, I'm...sort of an artificial soul. I can't really say any more than that."

Yuzu got a bit wide eyed. "So, someone made you?"

Kon nodded. "Yeah. Please. I'm not supposed to talk about this. You're not supposed to know about me!"

Karin walked away. "It's a bit late for that."

Yuzu smiled at him. "So, do you want to hang out?"

Kon cocked his head. "H-hang out? R-really?"

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was frowning as he glared down at the scene in front of him. "What the Hell?"

Kon and Yuzu were both looking up at him. They were seated around a small table in her room, tea was set out before them. The plushy was looking up at him with his jaw hanging.

The girl smiled up at him. "Hi, Ichigo."

Kon looked a bit nervous. "Um, hello..."

The boy's eye twitched. "Kon...what do you think you're doing?"

His sister blinked and looked at the stuffed lion. "He's having tea with me. Why?"

Her brother had the creature by it's throat and had lifted him up from his seat. "You idiot!"

Yuzu stood up and frowned at him. "What are you doing?"

Ichigo ignored her and shook Kon. "You're supposed to be hiding!"

The girl snatched the plushy from his grip and frowned at her older brother. "What? Why?"

The older boy looked at her with his jaw hanging. "Huh?"

She pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out at him. "We already knew about him. We saw him when you fought that monster."

Ichigo was still frozen and looking at her. "I...uh..."

Kon was holding her neck and hiding his face in her shoulder. "I couldn't help it! She found me in the laundry! I couldn't get away! She started talking to me and told me she already knew! It was too late!"

The blond boy gave a small grunt. "Well..."

Karin was leaning in the doorway looking on. "He's right you know. We both already knew about that thing. What the heck is it anyway? Where did you find it?"

Ichigo had gone a little pale. "Well...I...um..."

A new voice saved him from stuttering and floundering under the questions of his two younger sisters. "Hey. There you are."

Everyone turned to see Akuma standing behind Karin. The dark haired girl jumped away and moved into the room a bit further.

Ichigo was relieved, but wasn't about to admit to it. "What do you want?"

His brother gave a snort. "Shut up. Leave Kon alone. What's the big deal anyway? It's not like everyone in the house doesn't already know about spirits and demons and such anyway. Don't be so paranoid."

"That's not the point!" The strawberry blond rushed up and put his nose up to his brother's face.

Akuma poked him in the forehead. "Whatever. Look, come on. I got something for you."

Ichigo growled. "I don't want anything from you."

The white haired boy grabbed his ear. "Quit griping and come on. You're only going to make the beating you're about to get worse if you piss me off running your mouth."

"Ouch! You jerk!" The blond was dragged from the room leaving the two girls standing around Kon. "Let go!"

The plushy was standing in the middle of the table looking relieved. "Whew! Thanks, Big Brother Akuma!"

Karin frowned at him and walked away. The two older boys were heading outside.

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was on his rear in a small field of grass no more than a block away from the home. He was rubbing at his ear and looking annoyed. "What? What the hell is it?" He grunted in pain as a heavy metal object landed in his lap. It landed right in the middle of his crotch, causing him to wince in pain.

"Here." Akuma was standing over him with a frown on his face.

The blond was frowning. There was a sawn-off double barreled shotgun sitting in his lap. He jumped up and it landed in the grass. "What? Are you crazy?"

His brother snorted and looked annoyed. "Don't be stupid. It's not real."

This only annoyed Ichigo further. "Wha..." He was cut off as the back of his skull hit the grass after a loud bang. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he sat up rubbing the burning bruise on his forehead. "Ouch! What the hell?!" He froze as he found Akuma grinning at him with one of his handguns pointed right at him.

The weapon twirled around his finger so the handle was pointed towards him. "Here. Take a closer look."

Ichigo continued to rub at his forehead as he took the weapon. "Guns are illegal."

"It's just a model, one of those toys you can buy at a model store. Just like that one." Akuma kicked the shotgun in the grass with his toes.

His brother looked confused. "Huh?"

The white haired boy had a vicious looking grin on his face. "Just like this one." He pulled the twin weapon out from behind his back, pointed it at his brother's forehead, and put his brother's skull back into the ground with another shot.

Ichigo was upright again a moment later looking angry and rubbing at the spot again. "Ouch! Cut it out you asshole!" He pointed the gun in his hand at his brother. "What do you mean it's not real?!"

Akuma squatted down beside him and punched him in the face. "Shoot me then."

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger. It clicked, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked at it. "Huh? What is this?"

Akuma took it back, picked up the shotgun, and shoved it into his brother's chest. "Now. Pay attention." He held the other weapon steady and pointed it away. Another loud bang sounded and the weapon in his hand kicked his elbow into bending his arm at a right angle. "See?"

The blond boy frowned. "See what? How did you do that?"

Akuma chuckled and glanced at him. "Oh. So you do want to know?"

Ichigo growled and let the shotgun hang from his grip at his side. "What is this? Are you going to show me or not?"

"Of course. It will make playtime more interesting if you know how." Akuma put his sunglasses on and grinned. "Now. It's really pretty simple. You just focus your power into the weapon." He demonstrated and pointed the weapon away. "Now. Focus the energy, and imagine a bullet, the kind that the weapon you're holding will fire." He held a red plastic cylinder up to show him. "Like this thing." He tossed it into the air and cut it in half with his sword, put it back over his shoulder, and caught both halves before they fell to the ground.

Ichigo frowned and looked unimpressed. "Okay. What are you doing?"

Akuma opened his palm. "You need to see this. It will make it easier to do. Have a look."

Ichigo looked at the inside. "That black grayish stuff is gunpowder?"

The white haired boy nodded. "That's right. It explodes and sends these little metal balls flying out very fast."

"I know how a gun works." Ichigo frowned and glared at the shell.

His brother nodded. "Well, I have no way of knowing that. Anyway, that won't fire a real shell. However, it doesn't need to be able to for this to work. Mine won't shoot real bullets either you know. They aren't actually illegal."

The blond nodded. "Yeah. I get it. So, I just focus my power, and imagine something like these things inside it?"

Akuma shrugged and let the remains of the shell fall to the ground before dusting his hands off. "Yup. That's pretty much it. When you pull the trigger, imagine what should happen, and..."

Ichigo was flat on his back with wide eyes and had his arms over his head. Both hands were gripping the weapon's handle and the barrels were smoking.

"Oh. How nice. You've picked it up already. It's not very hard to do." Akuma was leaning over him with a grin on his face.

His brother was sitting up looking at the weapon with wide eyes. "It...worked?"

The white haired boy grinned and nodded. "Pretty cool huh?"

Ichigo glared at the weapon. "Not really."

"It will hurt a Hollow, even kill a weaker one. It will take quite a lot to kill anything with a decent power level though. Anything strong enough to be a real threat to even the weakest of Shinigami...well...let's just say you're better off with that sword of Rudipa's or whatever." Akuma frowned and narrowed his eyes a little. "I feel I should warn you, it will kill a human with low spiritual power. Those with high spiritual energy will probably survive, but spirits are tougher. It can really hurt even someone with a lot of spirit energy physically. You should be careful."

The blond frowned at him. "What good is it then?"

Akuma chuckled at the response. "Well, it will slow an enemy down, wear them down a bit, make moving more difficult, and allow you to strike at a distance. It's not useless, but better when combined with other forms of attack. You'll see." He stretched his arms and popped his back. "Besides, you can use it without having to resort to leaving your body after all. To be honest, you don't really need to leave it to fight Hollows."

Ichigo frowned at him. "Shut up. I said I'd help her, and I will. I owe her."

Akuma gave a small frown. A moment later, Ichigo was looking at the huge sword impaled in the ground between his legs while on his rear. "Tell me. Do you think this sword is something I got from this world?"

His brother looked up at him and glared into his eyes. Akuma could pull it off his back out of nowhere. It was like it didn't exist once he put it back, it was invisible, and he'd never seen it hinder him. It only seemed to exist at all after he pulled it off his back. "What do you mean?"

"You don't need to leave your body to use a Spirit Sword idiot. You're Akkijin remember?" Akuma put the weapon away and turned his back on his brother.

Ichigo looked shocked. "Wait. You mean that thing is...some kind of Soul Sword?"

The white haired boy sneered at him from over his shoulder. "Don't be stupid. This is what's called a Devil Arm." His features calmed a little. "Though, I suppose it is similar to a Soul Sword in some respects. It's not the same thing, no."

Ichigo hung his head and seemed to think on it. "What do you mean?"

"You'll figure it out. I'm afraid you're going to have to find a weapon like that on your own. I can't help you with it."

Ichigo glared at him. "How?"

Akuma turned to face him. "That Soul Sword is good enough for now. Don't worry about it. Sooner or later, you'll figure it out on your own."

The blond stood up and dusted off his knees. "What do you mean? I can't use that Soul Sword without..."

He was cut off as Akuma's heel hooked across his jaw and sent him sprawling across the grass on his back. The blond boy flipped up on his hands and pushed himself backwards into another flip as the dirt kicked up as several loud reports sounded.

Akuma was glaring at him with both handguns in his grip. "That's enough talking. If you're too stupid to figure this out on your own, you're no good to me anyway." He took his glasses off and put them into his pocket. "Now. Shut the hell up and fight!"

Ichigo growled and gripped the handle of the shotgun as he crouched and glared at his brother. "All right. Fine!" He charged forward and yelled.

Both of them collided in the middle of the field.

OooOOooOO

Ichigo Kurosaki frowned as he leaned back at the table and downed most of a glass of juice in a few gulps. He had a magazine in front of him and seemed lazy and relaxed. He gave a heavy sigh as he felt his joints pop a little as he settled in. His arms were covered in bandages, and he had several bandages on his cheek. There were a few bruises and scrapes, but he wasn't really feeling all that uncomfortable.

Karin was sitting across from him with a glass of her own. Akuma was sitting on the couch while Yuzu and Isshin watched television.

The blond was in a sour mood, his brother had already kicked the living crap out of him for the day. His bones felt sore and his arm and one of his shins had been broken only a few hours before. It was kind of irritating, and he'd been pelted with Akuma's spirit bullets on top of it.

He looked at the magazine, making himself even more irate with the fortune telling and spiritual ads in it. That sort of thing annoyed him.

Isshin and his sister crossed their arms over their chests and gave a loud laugh. "Bohahahaha!"

"What is this?" Akuma leaned in and peered over the pair in front of the television. He looked on as Don Kanoji, a man dressed in elaborate clothes with a stupid hat and cape on appeared on the screen. "What's with the pose?"

Yuzu looked back at him and grinned. "It's 'Journey to Bust Ghost on Hallowed Ground', more commonly known as 'Ghost Bust'!"

Ichigo gave a snort. "Crap is what it is." He didn't say it very loud, but Yuzu looked annoyed.

The brunette ignored him and became enthralled with the show.

Akuma looked on from the couch. "Don Kanoji? Hey, I've heard of him."

Yuzu looked pleased. "Isn't he cool?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "He's completely phony."

"Nah. He's an idiot, but he's the real deal. He can see spirits, very well in fact. He's something of a joke in the spirit world though. He's got no idea what to do with them." Akuma sat back and shrugged. "It's actually kind of amazing he's survived this long. There's a betting pool going back home about when he'll manage to get himself killed by messing with the wrong sort of spirit." He seemed pleased and amused as he relaxed. "They put this on television?"

Yuzu and Isshin both looked at him with wide eyes. "It's cool though! I'll be able to see spirits like that one day too!"

Ichigo almost choked on the last of his juice. Karin looked at her with wide eyes. "What? Yuzu, you shouldn't say things like that."

Akuma frowned at their reaction. "She's right you know. Her spiritual power hasn't manifested itself like yours has, but she'll be able to when she's older. You just take it for granted because your power bloomed a little sooner. She's not spiritually weak, she's just taking a bit longer to come into her power. She's Akkijin like us. No human could match her potential for spiritual power. Not even ol' Beardo here." He jerked his thumb at Isshin.

The man turned his head and coughed. "Well...I..."

"Dad?" Karin looked like she didn't quite believe that statement.

"He can see the dead too you know. It's how he met Mom." Akuma relaxed. "Why he'd be interested in this sort of thing is beyond me. I suppose it is pretty funny."

Isshin coughed and looked away. "Well, I don't speak much of it. I'm a doctor, not a medium. I care for the living. It would be a waste of my time to worry about the dead."

Yuzu was grinning at him. "Really?"

Akuma nodded. "Yeah he's a ret..."

Isshin had him in a headlock before he could finish speaking and pulled him onto the floor. "Hahahahahaa! Come now son! Let's just enjoy the show, huh? No need to bring that sort of thing up!"

The white haired boy was under the man's rear on his belly, with both his legs pulled up in a lock. "Um...sure." He looked very uncomfortable.

Ichigo and Karin were both looking on and decided it was best to ignore them. Ichigo frowned at the dark haired girl's stare. "What? You're not watching?"

"No. I don't care about that sort of thing. You know I can see as well as you can."

Yuzu screamed. "Kiyaaaa!"

Everyone in the room turned to look at the girl. Isshin had Akuma in a headlock and was rubbing at his skull with his knuckles. "You keep quiet you..."

The white haired boy looked annoyed and grumbled as the man released him in favor of paying attention to what Yuzu had gotten excited about. "Fine. Why do you care if anyone knows about that anyway?" He rubbed at his head and moved back to the couch.

The girl looked back and pointed at the screen. "Next week's Ghost Bust is in Karakura town!"

Akuma nodded. "Hey. I've always wanted to see this idiot for myself." He looked pleased. "We'll have to go and check it out."

Isshin nodded. "Indeed!"

Ichigo growled and his glass cracked in his grip. The next week was going to suck.

Karin gasped as she noticed her brother destroying the glass. "Hey! Careful you idiot! We've only got a few of these glasses!"

He blinked and set it down as he blushed. "Sorry."

"Maybe I'll be able to see something!" Yuzu was hopping about. "I can't wait to find my hidden power!"

"Well, maybe. I wouldn't count on it just yet though." Akuma patted her head. "You're still young. Karin is unusual because she's so sensitive. Most of the time, it doesn't happen until you hit puberty."

The girl frowned at him and balled up her fist. "I'm gonna try my best!"

Karin frowned at the scene. Yuzu got a long with Akuma very well, but he still made her uncomfortable. It was a bit unnerving to see her interact with him. It made her feel a little off about her. She was never so enthusiastic about it before.

She felt bad about thinking that way, but something felt a little off about Yuzu lately. She didn't really make her uncomfortable or anything, and she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly. She was different somehow, it was subtle, but it was there.

She hung her head and thought on it for a moment. "Maybe he's right? Maybe she's finding her power or something?" She couldn't help but think that it might be because of Akuma if she was. That didn't sit well with her, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. "Maybe I should talk with her about it or something?"

Yuzu was cheerful and excited at the moment, and hanging from Akuma's neck while squealing with glee.

Karin looked a little sickened at the excitement over the idiot medium. "Maybe later. No way I'm talking to her about it until she calms down."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Ghost Busting in Karakura town.


	6. Chapter 6

The Devil's Bleached Tears.

Part 6

Busted.

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was annoyed. A fever had caught Karakura, and he was the only one vaccinated for whatever it was. "Bohahahahahahahaa!" He found himself scowling at a cheerful Orihime.

Akuma was next to him with his fake looking grin. "Huh. You guys are really into this guy huh?"

Tatsuki walked up behind the cheerful redhead and pulled her away. "C'mon. You don't want to talk to that jerk."

The white haired boy grinned at that. "Am I a bad influence Ichikun?"

His brother's expression didn't change. "Terrible."

Akuma wandered off towards his desk. Everyone else in the room got the opportunity to annoy him by posing and making the stupid laugh. Keigo and Mizuiro. Even Chizuru, who usually ignored him completely outside of being angry and or jealous of him over Orihime took the time to stop and annoy him.

Keigo was the first to approach him and try to talk to him about it at length. "It'll be great. I mean, we should go early to find a good spot."

"I'm not going," grumbled the strawberry blond.

"What? Why not? It's the most popular show in Japan! It's coming to our town! You'll be known as the guy who didn't see it!" The excitable brunette seemed shocked.

Ichigo frowned at him. "Our town? You're from Naruki."

Keigo looked wounded, more his pride than his feelings. "You're so harsh! I even went to the trouble of inviting Kuchiki!"

She walked up to the scene and gave a small curtsy. "How's it going, Kurosaki?"

The brunette boy made the pose and laughed. "Like this Kuchiki! Look!"

She blushed and shook her head. "Oh! I'm much to shy! I couldn't!"

Ichigo frowned at her. "I have to admit, she's getting better at being dishonest. Playing shy is a new variation."

Tatsuki and Orihime looked on from nearby. "What do we do? It looks like he's really not coming."

The tomboy crossed her arms. "It's okay, he'll come."

Akuma was relaxing in his chair in front of the pair. "Yeah. If I've got to drag him myself. The whole family is going. He doesn't have much choice. Beardo will never let him stay home by himself."

Tatsuki looked annoyed at him. "Who asked you?"

Orihime smiled at him. "Oh. Then we'll see you there then?"

"Not if I can help it," grumbled her friend.

OooOOooOO

"You came!" cried Keigo and Mizuiro as they pointed at Ichigo. He was looking like he wished he was somewhere else, while his family posed behind him. Akuma was the only one who didn't bother with crossing his arms and laughing like an idiot.

"Shut up. I'll kill you!" growled the blond boy at the pair.

Orihime walked up to greet him looking timid. "Sorry about before. Tatsuki told me about how you dislike that show..."

He looked confused. "Huh? Don't worry about it. Keigo and Mizuiro both know I despise that show, and they both do it."

Akuma frowned at them both. "Yes. I'm to understand that it's socially acceptable for friends to tease each other that way."

Ichigo glowered at him. "Speaking of which, it's not like you to pass up an opportunity like this to irritate me. What gives?"

His brother gave a shrug. "I dunno. Seems a bit beneath me, posing like an idiot and laughing that way."

The blond nodded at that. "In other words, you would, but you're too embarrassed to do it in front of everyone."

Akuma put his shades on. "Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that. I just think looking like that sort of idiot on purpose outweighs any potential enjoyment I'd get from embarrassing you that way."

"Why did you come?" asked Orihime as she looked at Ichigo.

His brother snorted. "If he didn't come here on his own, Dad would have tied him up and carried him. He didn't really have an option."

The blond boy's head snapped around. "It's normal to do stuff like this for your family."

Orihime giggled a little at the teasing. "Yeah. It's normal..." She looked at the ground.

Akuma looked towards her. "You shouldn't be so agreeable. Pretending to be more cheerful than you are all the time isn't good for you."

The girl gasped and looked up at him. For a moment, it looked like there were two red dots behind the lenses of the shades. "I...huh?"

He turned his back on them both. "Besides, I'm not joking. Dad and I drew up plans in case he tried to escape. There's a box full of bungee chords, duct tape, and rope in the hall closet. I'm a little disappointed he came willingly to be honest."

Ichigo jabbed his finger at him. "That's not funny!"

Isshin was nearby with Yuzu on his shoulders. "Huh? He's not joking. It was a father and son bonding moment drawing up those plans. I also am a little disappointed that we did not get to implement them."

The brunette girl had her arm wrapped around his forehead and pointed towards the head of the crowd. "Daddy, let's go find a good spot up front!"

The man grinned with a mad glaze in his eyes. "Yes! For you, Yuzu! Daddy will find the very best spot!"

"Yay!" squealed the girl cheerfully.

Karin rolled her eyes and moved off after him. She was using her ball cap to try and hide her face and shoved her free hand into her pocket.

Ichigo turned around and Rukia was standing there with her arms crossed in the pose making the stupid laugh. "Bohahahahahahaha!"

"Gah! Bitch!" he muttered under his breath.

Akuma had his usual smirk on his face, but it seemed different somehow. Rukia took note of it and stopped teasing Ichigo. "What are you looking so smug about?"

The white haired boy took off his shades and looked down at her. His irises were lit up, not so much as to show through the lenses, but there was a reaction. She took a step back and gasped under his gaze. "It's delicious. Don't you think so, Ichikun?"

The boy crossed his arms and stuck his lip out at his brother. "Huh? What are you babbling about?"

His sibling closed his eyes and clenched his fist. "The sound. Don't tell me you've not noticed it? It's so relaxing, so fulfilling. I've not heard such a thing since I came to this plane. It's very satisfying. I guess it makes me a little nostalgic."

Rukia scowled at him as she realized what he meant. "It's a Plus, an Earthbound spirit." It sounded horrible, not so much that it bothered her. Still, it wasn't something she considered pleasant.

Ichigo uncrossed his arms. "Hey. I do hear something. I hadn't noticed it, but...it's...what? It sounds like a Hollow's voice!"

Akuma gave a nod. "Not yet, but soon. It's bound to this hospital. You didn't notice? It's having a calming effect on you."

The blond boy looked at his brother with something that resembled discomfort. "It's not that bad, but it's..."

"Food for your dark side," replied Akuma as he looked up and removed his glasses. "There...above us."

Ichigo looked up to see the wailing spirit. He was ranting about how the hospital his chain was attached to should have been his, and all the money he could have made with it. About how it had been left to his younger brother instead, and how no one could enter without paying cash first. "What? Should we do something? Give it a Soul Burial?" he glanced at Rukia.

She shook her head. "No, it's best to wait until this festival is over. He's probably been here a few years. It won't hurt to wait a bit longer. "

Ichigo looked confused. "Festival?"

Akuma was focused on the spirit above and licked his lips. The spirit went quiet suddenly and looked down right at Ichigo, Rukia, and the white haired boy. The one in the long black coat put his hand up and pointed at him. "See you soon, friend."

Rukia got a bit annoyed with him, but didn't speak up. The spirit went quiet suddenly and looked down at Akuma in particular. He put his hands up in front of his face and vanished into the second floor of the hospital.

Nearby, Karin felt her stomach turn and gasped as the sound stopped. She'd been feeling a bit off and had noticed the sound. It cut off abruptly and she seemed surprised.

Yuzu was standing next to her near the ropes to keep the public back from the show. Isshin wasn't paying either of them much attention and was looking about waiting for things to start up. "Hey. That noise stopped."

Her sister looked up at her. "You...you heard something?"

The brunette girl nodded and smiled at her. "Yeah. I didn't really notice it until it stopped though. It was kind of nice though."

"Nice?" grumbled Karin. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was a little weird. She'd heard a voice ranting about the hospital, and how it should have been his. Nice was not the word she'd use to describe it. Though, deep down she kind of wished it hadn't stopped, and that bothered her a little.

"Hey! It's starting!" The crew was setting itself up, and a garishly dressed figure was floating onto the scene with a parachute.

"BOHAHAHAHAHAHAA!" He came into view as he fell from above. "The spirits are always with youuu!"

"What is this?" muttered Rukia in shock.

"An idiot." Akuma glanced at her. "He's pretty popular in Hell too. The demons think he's a riot. You'll figure out why pretty quickly if you watch him. Heh. Poor idiot thinks he's some kind of psychic hero."

Rukia gasped and looked confused. "Huh? The demons think he's..." That did not imply good things about what was going on.

Don Kanoji was strutting about in front of the camera, waving to his fans. After a moment, he noticed the chain and walked up to it. "Hmm, it seems the spirit has gone into hiding. I must, first, force him out!" He grabbed it and pulled hard.

Rukia blinked in surprise. "Huh? What is he? Can he see?"

Akuma smirked. "Of course he can. That's not the best part though. Just watch, it's about to get very interesting."

The medium was inspecting the spirit. It looked confused and annoyed. "Hey, what's with you?" it grumbled at Kanoji.

"I shall release you from this chain of suffering. I shall do it in one blow from my special spirit staff!" In his hand an ornate cane appeared. He raised it over his head, and slammed it into the partially open hole in the spirit's chest.

The thing started to scream, it's voice became more high pitched.

"No! What is he doing?" cried Ichigo in alarm.

Akuma gave a rather indifferent looking shrug. "I told you he was an idiot, didn't I?"

Rukia looked at him in shock. The spirit's screams were growing louder and more intense. It was a horrible sound, and even she was feeling the effects of listening to it. Nearby, Ichigo's sister Karin was on her knees. Her hands were over her ears, but she wasn't holding the sound out. She looked like she wanted too, but there was an odd look in her eyes as she stared at the scene. "What...what is that medium doing?"

Yuzu had a grin on her face and was hopping up and down next to her father in excitement. "He said he'll take care of it in one blow! Do you hear that sound Daddy? I can hear something! What is it?"

He looked at her with a confused expression. He could indeed hear something, he could see something as well. He didn't want to let on or say anything about it. "It's all right Yuzu. I'm sure it's just your imagination." It was hardly something to react the way she was to. He didn't want to scold her as she was obviously not aware of the nature of what was going on.

Both his daughter's eyes had changed. He didn't notice it, but they were both looking at Don Kanoji and his spirit captive with irises like small slits. Karin was the only one who could see anything, and she couldn't do anything but look on in a sort of fascinated horror. "What? What is he doing?"

Kanoji was swirling the tip of his staff about in the open hole behind the spirit chain.

Ichigo had enough. He moved towards the rope separating the crowd from the broadcast. "No! You idiot! Stop!"

Akuma blinked in surprise and looked on. "Hey. What are you doing?"

Rukia looked just as surprised. "He's going to turn that guy into a Hollow if..."

The demon boy nodded. "Yeah. He's been doing that to spirits for years. He thinks he's exorcising them. I told you, we think he's a real gas. What is Ichigo doing anyway?"

His brother was moving towards Kanoji with a scowl on his face. The crew had noticed him and several security guards had started to surround him. The men moved to grab him, but Ichigo wasn't having any of it.

Akuma smirked as his brother started beating the living tar out of the men trying to grab him. He took a few punches from several muscular men, but ignored them completely. The television cameras were on him as he stalked forward towards Kanoji. "Hey, that looks kind of fun."

Rukia looked confused and shocked. "Is he going to be all right?"

The white haired boy nodded. "He'll be fine. I think."

Ichigo growled as two of the men tried to grab his arms. One of them succeeded and he spun around, tossing him head first into the other. The blond boy spun about as the men tried to tackle him, tossing them aside with kicks and punches. All of them dog piled on him at once, covering him completely so that only his arms and legs poked out of the pile.

The boy was livid with rage and screamed. Don Kanoji took notice of the scene and continued his exorcism. The announcer talked over the event and the cameramen shifted to take Ichigo and the scene he was causing out of frame. "Go to commercial!"

The strawberry blond screamed and stood upright despite the men trying to wrest him to the ground. They managed to get a hold on his arms and legs, and two of them took turns punching him across his cheek and in his gut. He turned his eyes on them both, and his irises glowed red. With quick sharp turns, he tossed security guards off his limbs, into each other and across the ground.

The huge men looked on in shock from the ground as the pair who had been belting him with punches found themselves flying past Don Kanoji and rolling across the ground. "You idiot! Stop what you're doing!" cried Ichigo as he jabbed his finger at the television host. "If you don't, I'll make you!"

Kanoji frowned and continued his work. "Stall him long enough for me to finish, then I'll take care of this one."

The security guards were staggering back to their feet and gave a collective nod.

The announcer looked shocked. "What's this? An excited young man seems to have gotten past..."

"Kannojiii!" growled Ichigo in rage as two more of the large men flew from his side. One of them latched onto his leg and the blond launched him at the medium.

The unfortunate man was knocked away from the spirit. He stood up and held his cane in front of himself. He managed to catch the security guard, but had been separated from the spirit. "Hmmm. I sense a strong spiritual energy."

Ichigo's eyes were burning with power. "No shit. You moron."

The spirit didn't stop screaming, there was a flash of bright light, and then it was gone. "Huh? What? What happened?"

Don Kanoji nodded his head. "Mission Complete." He stood tall and turned towards Ichigo. "Now, it seems my next task has come before me." He raised his staff and frowned at the blond.

Akuma chuckled from the sidelines with his hand on Rukia's shoulder. "This should be rich. Heh."

The girl glared at him. "Idiot! It's not over. That spirit isn't..."

The white haired half demon shrugged. "I know that."

Ichigo was looking confused. "Hey, it's gone. I thought..." He glanced at Don Kanoji. "You..."

The man planted his cane into the blond boy's skull. "Devil, come out!"

"What the hell?" cried the unfortunate boy in shock. Kanoji continued to belt him across his skull. "Cut that out! What are you doing idiot?!" he kicked the man in his face.

Kanoji jumped back and flared out his cape. "I see. A stubborn spirit then? Release this boy from your bonds foul spirit! I shall send you to peace in the next world!"

The blond growled at the man in the stupid hat. "What are you doing? You idiot!"

He heard Rukia's voice from the sidelines. He looked over to see his brother holding her back. "Ichigo! Above you!"

The blond and Don Kanoji looked up at the same time. On the roof of the hospital, a white figure was forming out of nothing. First the arms and legs, then the chest, and finally a human like head. It screamed in rage, and a hard outer skull like mask formed. It was wide and flat, with a wide mouth.

"Wha? What is that monster?" muttered Kanoji in shock.

Ichigo growled. "It's a Hollow. Moron! You don't know that that is?"

The man looked stupefied. "Of course! I am Don Kanoji, charismatic spirit medium of the new century! Monster extermination is outside my field."

Ichigo growled at him. "Yeah. Well that spirit over there is called a Hollow. It's your doing to begin with!" He grabbed him by his shirt and yelled into his face. "Who's fault do you think it is?"

Kanoji belted him across his skull with his staff. "So, you have summoned another spirit to aid you! Foul creature! Release this innocent boy!"

Ichigo jumped aside as the thing landed and screamed that it would devour their souls. He threw Kanoji across the ground behind him. "Stay out of the way idiot!"

The man looked at the thing as it leered at them both. "Wha? It smells of evil spirit!" The thing bounded towards them both, and Kanoji pushed Ichigo aside. "You'll not harm this innocent boy's body! I shall free him from you both! Foul creatures of the netherworld!"

Ichigo hit the wall on the side of the hospital. "What is with this dumbass anyway?"

"Ichigo!" cried Rukia. Akuma had his hand planted on her shoulder. "Let me go! You jerk! He..."

The white haired boy snorted and scowled at her. "He's fine. He doesn't need to leave his body to beat that thing. If you run into that, you'll just get in the way. Let it be."

Kanoji barred the confused Hollow's way. It charged at him. "Don Kanoji, the charismatic spirit medium for the new century, shall be your opponent!"

"Knock it off, idiot!" Ichigo was getting sick of him, but charged forward to keep him from getting himself killed anyway. Without thinking he reached behind his back and swung his arm. The spirit sword was in his grasp as he blocked the creature's mouth from biting the medium's head off.

Rukia gasped in shock. "What? That's..."

Akuma released her shoulder as she relaxed. "I keep telling you both, he doesn't need to leave his body. He's not human to begin with. Using a spirit sword is nothing to one of our kind."

The girl frowned up at him. "I see."

Akuma rolled his eyes. "He'll be fine. Just watch. Might as well enjoy the show. Maybe that idiot will get killed while they're at it? It would certainly make less work for you Shinigami types if he did."

Kuchiki frowned at that, but nodded. She was very annoyed, but not as alarmed with Ichigo's position as she had been either.

Yuzu was grabbing her father by the back of the shirt. "Daddy! It's embarrassing enough! Don't you dare copy him!"

Isshin looked berated. "Darn. Caught me."

Karin seemed confused. "Where did he get that sword from?"

Her sister was upset with her brother."What sword? What is he doing up there? He attacked Mr. Kanoji! I'm so embarrassed!"

Her twin shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I think they've teamed up to fight that monster. Look at that thing! What is it?"

Yuzu was annoyed by this further. "What? More stuff I can't see? What's going on Karin? No fair!"

Her sister looked back at her and gave a heavy sigh. "I've got no idea. It's just weird. Ichigo has this big sword, but I don't think anyone can see it, and Mr. Kanoji keeps hitting him on the head with his spirit staff, and there's this big monster that looks like it's trying to eat them both."

"Run you moron!" cried Ichigo as he dragged the medium behind him and sprinted away from the beast.

"Spirits, be gone!" cried Kanoji as he belted the boy across his skull a few times as he was pulled away.

"I'll devour you!" roared the beast as he tore after them.

Akuma was eating a bag of popcorn on the sidelines as he looked on. "Wow. I wish I had a camera."

Rukia gave a sigh. "I guess so. I just hope he hurries up. There's too many people here, and it could get dangerous."

Akuma gave a small shrug. "If you say so. I sort of doubt it will pay any attention to anything but the two stage whores. Honestly, who could have known my brother was such a camera hog."

One of the irate looking security guards noticed him. "Hey, you! You're with that guy aren't you?"

The white haired boy shrugged. "Not really. I mean, he's my brother, but he's an idiot on his own. You really shouldn't blame me. I'm staying behind the rope and everything." He pointed at it. "See."

The man had several friends by that point. "We're going to have to ask you to come with us."

Akuma looked annoyed. "What for? I'm not doing anything but watching like I'm supposed too. Shouldn't you be worried about that scene stealing camera whore and Mr. Kanoji?"

Rukia took a few steps away looking like she didn't want to be associated with the mess.

The security guards removed the rope and surrounded the white haired boy. "I'd really rather not get involved with this. I'm not his father you know, there's nothing I can do to stop him from being stupid." He didn't look worried and handed off his popcorn to Rukia. She was surprised and annoyed by it, but none of the men seemed to realize she was with him.

The white haired half demon cracked his neck and stepped towards the lead guard. "What were you planning anyway? Even if you've got me 'captured' it won't matter. We're brothers and all, but he doesn't like me much. He won't stop, even if you try and use me as a hostage."

The man frowned and tried to grab the back of his neck. Akuma caught his arm and had him on his knees as he bent back his wrist. "I don't mind cooperating, but if you touch me, you'll regret it." The circle of men stepped back and started pulling out batons from their belts. The white haired boy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh well, might be a bit of fun then?"

The man he'd brought to his knees slugged him in the jaw. "Not for you!"

Akuma chuckled from behind his fist. "Oh, you'd be surprised. Ya see, we're twins and all, but I'm much stronger than he is."

"What the?" muttered the angry man in surprise.

OooOOooOO

Ichigo growled as he tossed Don Kanoji into an empty room inside the abandoned hospital. He turned and growled as he looked for the monster. It wasn't chasing them, but he could tell it was nearby. "Great. Listen you..."

"Demon! Be gone!" The man belted him across his nose with his cane.

The blond boy clutched at his face. "Ouch! You moron! I'm getting sick of this!" He pulled him up to his face by his shirt. "What the hell is your problem?"

The medium frowned at him. "Release this boy! Foul spirit! I demand it!" Ichigo was forced to catch his wrist again.

"What the hell are you babbling about idiot!?" He shook the man and paused as he got a horrified expression on his face. "It's right behind me, isn't it?"

The floor shattered as the monster struck. Ichigo flipped over Kanoji and dragged him away. He landed in a crouch after laying the medium on his back on the floor behind him. "Stay out of this!"

The creature charged and the blond boy spun around. A short metal object in his grip.

"No! That won't work!" cried the man from the ground just before the report sounded.

The hollow took the shot at point blank range. It's head jerked back and it landed flat on it's back from taking the full brunt of the blast. Ichigo put the smoking double barreled sawed off shotgun agains this shoulder as he clutched his sword with his other hand. "Heh."

Don Kanoji looked surprised. "A gun? This is not a spirit then?"

Ichigo gave a snort. "Sure it is, this gun is special." He slashed with his sword, and the Hollow jumped back to dodge. The blond glanced back at the man on his rear on the dusty floor. "What are you still doing here? Run away you dumbass!"

The man furrowed his eyebrows and stood up, dusting off his clothes. "Me? Run away? You take me for a coward? I will not run from the likes of you or your terrible servant!"

By that point Ichigo had the blade of his sword between the thing's teeth. "You moron! This isn't a pet!"

"I fight on!" cried Kanoji as he moved towards the beast with his cane held ready. "Kanoji style's final ultimate attack!" He had his palm behind him and a small ball of light formed over his hand. He was poking the stick at the Hollow, keeping it at bay. The monster snapped it's teeth at him and growled in frustration.

"You idiot!" cried Ichigo. "Get out of the..." That was when he noticed Kanoji pointing his hand back at him. "You..."

"Kanon Ball!"

Ichigo was thrown back ten feet as the little power ball blew up in his face. The blond stood up and growled. "That does it! Who cares if this idiot dies!?"

Kanoji wasn't paying attention. "Now that that evil demon has been dealt with, it's time to take care of you!" He readied himself and his staff.

Only to be knocked off his feet as the half demon boy planted both of his feet in his cheek. "Get out of here! I'm dealing with this one!"

The Hollow was confused and growled as it looked back and fourth. It was unsure of which of them to go after.

The Kurosaki boy blasted it in the side of it's face and it rolled a few feet before hissing and roaring at him. He'd made up it's mind for it. "That's right. Come on ugly!" He moved back with it following after him in hot pursuit.

Kanoji found himself alone and rubbed at his head. He'd almost lost his hat. "Ouch. A more difficult job than I'd anticipated."

"Job?" growled Ichigo as he glanced back. "This guy is...really stupid."

The man posed with his finger in the air. "I the great Hero Don Kanoji, shall not flee in the face of battle! I cannot disappoint my fans and show myself a coward! Children of Japan, your role model will not abandon his principals in the face of any danger!" He clocked the hollow across the side of it's face with his cane.

The thing shook it's head and snarled as it moved off after him. Kanoji dashed down the hall back towards the area with the cameras.

"What the?" Ichigo was confused. "Where the hell are you going?" He dashed off after the two of them. "That fucking dumbass is really pissing me off!"

He looked out of the windows as he ran down the hall and saw the creature chase the spirit medium back where they had started in front of the crowd and cameras. The man turned about and posed holding the edges of his cape up as he lifted his leg. "Foul Monster! I shall not allow you to defeat me!"

"Shit," grumbled the boy as he lifted up his arms and ran right through the glass of one of the windows above the scene.

The Hollow was charging right at him, but jerked to a stop as Ichigo landed seated on his shoulders just over his neck. The half demon put the barrel of his shotgun up against the back of it's head and pulled the trigger.

The crowd screamed and ducked, but no one ran at the sound. It was cheering and hooting at the scene. Don Kanoji pointed his staff at the boy. "I summon the power of my soul to combat you!"

Ichigo shifted sideways on the monster's neck. It had been planted face first into the dirt and reached back behind it's head at him. The boy rolled under the thing's face on his back as it sat back up and grabbed at him at the same time, putting his weapon under it's chin and firing again.

The Hollow roared in anger as it's torso was thrown up about four feet. Ichigo planted his sword in the dirt and flipped back over it putting both his feet into it's chin. The creature was staggered on it's hind legs as the boy pulled the blade out of the ground at the apex of his flip and slashed at it.

The Hollow managed to duck under the slash in the nick of time and hissed as it moved back away from the pair.

Kanoji made a few thrusting motions with his spirit staff, and a small breeze like spirit energy ruffled Ichigo's hair a bit and made his shirt flutter a little. "You're still here?"

The man had a confident expression. "You think you and your beast can best me! I think not!"

Ichigo grabbed him by his collar. "You idiot! It's trying to kill both of us!"

The medium jabbed the butt of his staff across the boy's face. "I shall prevail!" He squatted down and put his fingers up to his lips as he began chanting after the blow forced the 'possessed' boy to release him.

"Crap," grumbled his intended target as the spirit medium sent a wave of energy strong enough to toss both him and the Hollow back several feet.

"Amazing! Mr. Kanoji's spiritual prowess is no match for his mysterious opponent!" cried the announcer.

Akuma was leaning against one of the posts holding up the rope with seven knocked out security guards lying about around him. He had his arms crossed and his usual cheerful expression on his face.

The announcer noticed it. "Mr. Kanoji's spiritual helpers have been eliminated by the forces of darkness! Oh! The tension is thick in the air! Fight on Don Kanoji! Fight on alone and defeat the menace of the Haunted Hospital!"

Akuma cocked his head. "Well, that's actually more accurate than he realizes." He glanced back at the girl behind him. "Isn't that right, Runelda?"

Rukia was behind the rope and had a rather bored expression on her face. She didn't seem impressed. She thought about correcting him, but noticed the cameras and turned her face away. "Leave me out of this." The half squinted eyes, cheerful expression, and air of just wrongness about Akuma bothered her. He reminded her of someone else she knew.

Ichigo kicked Kanoji in the back of his head. The Hollow dived between them both and bounced off the side of the hospital, turning as it did to face them again.

The blond boy threw the medium by the back of his collar towards the hospital's entrance. The medium rolled through the doors and ended up on his face in the abandoned lobby.

"What the hell are you doing luring that thing out there?" cried Ichigo as he burst through the doors and grabbed the man by his shirt as he sprinted to the fire stairs and dragged the man with him by force as he went.

Kanoji looked annoyed. "So, you do not wish the cameras to witness your inevitable defeat! I the great Hero..."

Ichigo whirled him around and slammed his back into the wall. "Hero my ass! What are you doing luring that thing out in front of all those people? Are you trying to kill someone!?"

The man seemed surprised. "Huh? What? I don't want to fight him without the cameras! The world must see bravery and courage...!"

Ichigo released his shirt and let him slide down the wall onto his rear. "There's nothing brave about endangering others! That thing is dangerous! If you try to lure it back out in front of that crowd again, I'll shoot you in the face!"

Kanoji looked down the very large double barrels of Ichigo's double barreled shotgun. "Huh?" He was sweating a bit and arched his eyebrow as he got a closer look at it. "Wait, is that...a model?"

The blond kid put his arm back and shoved the man aside as the floor beneath them ruptured and the Hollow burst out into the room. The monster took both barrels in the face again and flipped over onto it's back. Ichigo cocked his arm up and glanced back to scowl at the cowering man. "What do you think?"

The medium looked confused. "Who...who are you?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo, dealing with Hollows is my job. Keep your nose out of my business and scram." He hefted his sword up to get ready to strike as the thing started to recover from being laid out.

"I'll devour your soul!" it roared.

The blond monster hunter gasped as it didn't charge, but instead spit something at his feet. He jerked to a stop and looked at the ground with wide eyes. His feet were cemented in place by some sort of fast drying substance. "Crap. All right then, come and get me!" He shifted back and readied his blade.

The Hollow charged and stopped with it's mouth stuck open as Kanoji appeared between them. He had his staff inside it's jaws, holding them open. "I cannot allow you to harm this boy. He is in need of an exorcism, and fights against the darkness within him admirably!"

Ichigo didn't waste the opportunity and blasted the stuff on his feet away with his shotgun. It pelted his shins a little and stung a bit, but was effective in freeing him. "What? Are you even paying attention?" He hacked at the creature, but it shook it's head, freeing the staff from it's jaws and lurched back to avoid the strike.

The blond boy looked up at the ceiling. He'd cut a large gash into the tiles above and put a nasty slash in the floor as well. "Damn." The tiles had slowed his strike down and forced him to miss, but weren't enough to stop the power of his slash. He turned and grabbed Kanoji by his shirt. "Come on! There's not enough room in here!"

The monster moved after them, considerably pissed off from the battle.

The pair ended up on the roof of the hospital. Kanoji was gasping and Ichigo looked annoyed as the man panted with his hands on his knees. "Get out of the way."

The medium scowled at him. "I shall not be dissuaded from my sacred duty! I shall defeat you both, and be a shining example of bravery to the youth of Japan!"

The blond didn't look very interested. The Hollow had been right after them, but hadn't appeared from the stairs to follow them yet. "What? What is wrong with you?"

The television personality narrowed his eyes. "Do you know the extent of the ratings of my show?"

Ichigo crossed his arms. "I don't care."

Kanoji didn't hear him. "That's right! Twenty five percent! That means that one fourth of Japan is watching me! Polling shows that most of my audience is under the age of twenty! That's a huge percentage of the youth of Japan!"

The demon half growled. "Look. Who cares about that stuff? Dragging that thing out in front of a crowd like that is dangerous! What if it decided to attack them instead of coming after us?"

Kanoji looked shocked. "What? I..." He hung his head. "I see. You are not a demon, are you?"

The boy put his finger in his ear. "Well, um, actually...I sort of am."

The man looked shocked. "What? How can that be? You speak the words of a man who would fight like a hero! Yet you do not deny that you are possessed?"

Ichigo relaxed his arms and let the blade of his sword touch the ground. "I'm not possessed. Look, it's complicated all right?" He gasped. "Look out!"

The beast had crawled up the outside of the building on the outer wall. It had tried to sneak up on them and was reaching for the medium from the edge of the roof. Ichigo tackled the man out of the way.

Kanoji looked serious. "You...defend me?"

Ichigo shoved him off and stood up dusting off his clothes as the beast crawled the rest of the way onto the roof looking annoyed with them. "I told you already. I kill Hollows."

The man nodded and stood at his side holding his staff forward. "Very well. Then I shall call you 'Battle Buddy'."

Ichigo's head whipped around towards him. "No! Absolutely not!"

The man ignored him. "So, Battle Buddy! If we are to die today, let it be together as true heroes!"

Ichigo shoved him aside with his shoulder as the thing charged them both. He took two steps forward and hacked down across the Hollow's face.

Kanoji gasped. "You did it! I knew it! I believed in you boy!" he cried as he posed.

The blond glared back at him. "Don't get all excited and dance around."

The Hollow's form evaporated away, leaving a familiar looking human soul in it's wake.

Don Kanoji looked on in shock. "What...what's the meaning of this boy?"

Ichigo frowned at him. "I told you before, it's not a monster. It's a Hollow. Normal spirits have a chain on their chest. When a hole opens up and a hole forms there, they lose their minds and become Hollows." He paused as a familiar figure landed on the rooftop and skidded to a halt in front of the scene.

Akuma's features twisted into anger. "No! What have you done you idiot?" He turned to glare at his brother. "Do you have any idea...what...?"

Kanoji was on his knees. "What have I been doing until now?" He looked shocked.

The white haired boy's jaw dropped. "Idiot! You told him?"

His brother had never seen such a reaction from his twin. "What?" He got annoyed. "Of course I did!"

Akuma seemed to calm suddenly. He gave a rough snort. "Well, you've just pissed off all of Hell. This was the top rated show among demons. Now you've gone and ruined everyone's fun." He crossed his arms and turned away.

The blond looked annoyed. "What? I don't care about that! He deserves to know that he's running around making Hollows pulling that crap!"

Kanoji was on his feet and looking between the pair. He turned towards Ichigo with a serious expression. "Thank you. Thank you for showing me this. I..."

His brother gave a snort and walked to the edge of the roof. "Yeah. Don't go blaming me for it later. Mom's gonna be pissed about this. She loved this show, and now you've gone and ruined it for her."

Ichigo looked shocked. "What?" Akuma jumped off the side of the roof out of sight of the crowd. He turned and looked towards Kanoji. "Hey. You should feel bad about this, but wallowing in guilt won't help. Everyone's waiting, and you're supposed to be a hero." He looked over the edge of the roof. The crowd gasped as they realized it was Kanoji's 'enemy' they could see.

The man looked at him and nodded. "I see. You are right." He walked up to the edge next to him and slapped his shoulder. Finally, he made his pose and gave his trademark laugh.

The crowd below gave a loud cheer.

Kanoji turned and smiled at the Kurosaki boy. "I thank you. From this time fourth, please lend me your hand!"

Ichigo looked a bit wary. "Well, maybe sometimes." He shook Kanoji's hand and seemed a bit cautious about the idea.

The man grinned. "From now on, I shall make you my number one Pupil! I shall help you clear this darkness away from your soul!"

Ichigo's jaw dropped. "What?"

OooOOooOO

"I can't believe this! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Kagine the Physical Education teacher of Karakura High School paced back and fourth in front of a group of students.

Chad, Orihime, Tatsuki, Rukia, Akuma, Mizuiro, Keigo, and Ichigo were all in line looking rather sheepish and quiet as the man chided them.

"Take a look at this! It's a film of a broadcast that aired Nationwide from our area last night. Nationwide!" The man walked up and grabbed Ichigo by his collar. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

The boy looked over at the paused image. "I guess he sort of does look like me."

The teacher put his face up to the boy's. "Every inch of him is you!"

The blond jerked his thumb at his white haired twin. "You sure it wasn't him?"

Akuma looked over at the image. "No. That's you. I beat the guards up later, and I did a much better job of it than you did. Fast forward a bit, none of them even touched me. They're all over you though. You're pretty slow and weak."

Ichigo scowled at him. "What was that?"

The man pointed at the screen as he grabbed the other twin by his shirt as well. "With this going around, do you know how much shame you've brought on the school?"

"What?" the white haired boy arched his eyebrow. "Shame? What for? We look pretty awesome I'd say."

Ichigo nodded, he hated to agree. "Yeah. I mean, a head to head fight with..." His face went a little sour. "...that guy. We did...um...pretty well."

The man went red faced. "You both look like hoodlums!"

Tatsuki spoke up. "Kagine sensei!"

The man turned his face from the brothers. "What is it Arisawa?"

"Why are Inoue and I here? I understand the two idiot brothers were on television, but we didn't do anything." She put her hand on her hip.

The man frowned. "You were with him!"

Akuma looked at her and nodded. "That's right. I overheard Keigo inviting you along the other day."

"That's right!" replied the boy.

She narrowed her eyes at the white haired boy. "What? You're delusional! Who are you going to believe..."

Akuma looked scandalized. "Really Tatsuchan! I thought better of you! Abandoning your dear childhood friend to take the blame for these events! How shameful!"

She stomped her foot and balled up her fist. "You are -not- my childhood friend!"

The boy pulled out a wallet sized photo. "See! Such deception! Look, here's a picture of us when we were young! Such dishonesty! For shame!"

Ichigo didn't look like he was going to add anything and gave Tatsuki a small shrug.

The girl's jaw had dropped. "What! It's a lie! A doctored photo!"

Orihime took her shoulders. "It's...all right Tatsuki..."

Kagine scowled at her. "Well, I had planned to be lenient with you girls...but this..."

Rukia pulled out a handkerchief. "I'm sorry, Kagine sensei. I tried to stop Ichigo, I even raised my voice! It's very unlike me."

Akuma looked over at her. He grabbed the remote control from Kagine and fast forwarded through the recording. After a moment, he paused. "What do you mean?" He pointed at the screen. "There's a picture of you eating popcorn and doing nothing right here. Look, see, I'm punching that security guard and you're just watching the show like everyone else."

Her head whipped around and glared at him. "Wh...what?"

Ichigo leaned in towards him looking irate. "Hey, you jerk. Shut up!"

Akuma shrugged. "What? They're the ones being dishonest and trying to stab us in the back. Why should they get away with it and leave us?"

"Yeah!" agreed Keigo.

Mizuiro, Chad, and Orihime all remained quiet and looked a bit uncomfortable.

The blond boy scowled. "That's not how friends..."

Akuma put his hand over his brother's mouth. "Besides, it's not like Ichigo and I did anything wrong."

Kagine's jaw dropped. "What? Are you joking? You embarrassed the school on National television and..."

Akuma frowned at him. "Of course we didn't. Think about it. If we had really attacked a national celebrity like Don Kanoji, and assaulted his security guards on national television that way, we'd be in jail by now for sure. I mean, it was a National Broadcast after all, there's tons of evidence."

Kagine's face fell a little. "Huh?"

The white haired boy's confident and rather disturbing grin had never faded once. "Well, think about it. Ichigo had a gun, and was shooting at the man! Do you really think we could get away with that if it really happened? I mean, guns are illegal!"

The teacher worked his jaw. "Wait, what?"

Akuma chuckled. "He hired us for the show. Look, we got free T-shirts, coffee mugs, and ball caps and everything!"

Kagine turned to notice the principal and Mrs. Ochi were both wearing ball caps and T-shirts with Mr. Kanoji's logo on them. The old man took a sip from a coffee mug with the man's name on it. "Wait...a moment."

The white haired boy shrugged. "Mrs. Arisawa and um...what's her name, the short flat chested one." He paused and glanced over. "Hmmm, that could be both of them, Anyway, they were both dishonest and bad tempered. I suppose they might be deserving of punishment."

"For shame!" agreed Mrs. Ochi.

"I can't wait to tell my Grandchildren that someone from my school was on television!" exclaimed the principal. "Can I get a copy of this video?"

The two girls both lost a bit of color and gasped as they looked at Akuma with hanging jaws.

"You asshole!" They both cried in unison as they glared at the demon boy.

Ichigo stepped away from his brother and moved over with Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro. Orihime blushed a little and almost, but not quite, took a step away from Tatsuki.

"Well, seeing as we've done nothing wrong. I don't see the point of holding us here." The white haired boy put his hands in his pockets and seemed quite pleased. "Though, those nasty bad tempered tomboy girls should definitely have detention for shaming their school and casting aside the honor of their friendships for the sake of their own necks."

Kagine narrowed his eyes at the girls. "Agreed. The rest of you may go. Arisawa, Kuchiki, you'll both be staying for detention."

The principal seemed cheerful as he walked away in his new hat, shirt, and sipping at his brand new coffee mug. Mrs. Ochi had a similar air about her as she took the opportunity to take off and avoid Kagine. He was always so high strung.

Both the black haired girls balled up their fists and growled as they noticed Akuma walk by grinning at them both. He opened his eyes a little more, and they both became even angrier and more uncomfortable.

"Should have just kept your mouths shut," He said as he left the room behind everyone else.

"Asshole," was the stereo reply.

OooOOooOO

Akuma looked out of the corner of his eyes at Orihime's frown. She wasn't pleased with him and was being quiet. He had his hands in his pockets and his shades on as he walked with the group of recent escapees. "What? Are you upset I'm a better liar than your friend Tatsuki? She had the same thing in mind for us you know."

The girl blushed and looked at her feet. "Well...I..."

Ichigo gave a heavy sigh. "I don't like it either, but he's right. Rukia was going to sell us out too you know. They'll be fine. It's just detention. They'll get stuck doing some cleaning or something. It's nothing to worry about, Inoue."

The girl looked at him, he didn't look pleased about it either. It made her feel better. "I wanted to walk home with Tatsuki today."

Akuma frowned. "You walk home with her every day. A little change of pace now and then won't hurt you. Just enjoy your freedom. They both deserved it for trying to throw us boys under the bus that way. Next time, maybe they'll think twice before running their mouths, eh?"

Mizuiro gave a small sigh. "I hate to say it, but he's right."

Keigo put his hands in his pockets and sulked a bit. "I guess so. I dunno though, I can't really enjoy getting out of it as much for some reason."

Chad nodded. "I know what you mean."

Akuma rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Well, I'm a little vengeful. I would have spoken up for all of us if they hadn't tried to pull that. I'm not going to feel guilty about it after what they tried though."

"Asshole," grumbled his brother as he glared at him out of the corners of his eyes.

Orihime scowled at the white haired boy and didn't reply.

He smirked at her. It made her stomach turn a little to see it. "You're right. My brother wouldn't have done that. I'm not my brother though, and I'm not going to feel bad about it just because my brother is stupid enough to let people get away with doing things like that to him."

"I'd rather..." growled Ichigo.

Akuma chuckled. "Yes, I know. You'd rather get beat to near death than let one of your friends prick their finger. So what? No one is hurt, they needed to learn not to cross me that way, and I'm not so protective as you are. Stop being such a baby. I looked out for the ones who didn't try and turn me over to save their own hides didn't I?"

Ichigo balled up his fist and growled. "Yeah. Whatever."

The white haired boy gave a small sigh. "We'll see you guys later. I've got to go beat the shit out of my brother and all. He'll feel better when we're done. Relax would you? They just got detention. You lot are acting like I left them back there to die or something." He pulled on Ichigo's sleeve and the pair started walking off.

Chad seemed surprised. "Huh? Did he say what I think he said?"

Keigo seemed a bit afraid. "That guy is a little weird."

Mizuiro shrugged. "He's not so bad. Ichigo likes him more than he lets on I think."

Orihime gave a weak looking smile. "I think that's right. They...get along well."

The brunette boy seemed a little shocked. "What? He just said..."

The redhead gave him a cheerful expression. "That's just how they are." As soon as she looked away it faded. She didn't like Akuma. There was something off about him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something beyond what he'd just done to Kuchiki and Tatsuki.

It worried her that Kurosaki was spending so much time with his brother. She knew it was silly, and that it was none of her business. However, she wanted very badly to get them apart. To hide Ichigo from his brother. To hold him in her arms and protect him from the white haired boy.

Ichigo did not want her to do that. He did not want to be away from his brother. He didn't want her to protect him. He didn't need it, but still. She felt that Akuma was indeed a very bad influence on Ichigo. It was odd, her favorite Kurosaki had not changed very much. He still acted as he always did, and he was usually annoyed with Akuma when they were together. It was just a feeling, and a bad one, that she was getting about it all. Something she could not place, something she could only sense about him.

Even though he'd never really done anything wrong as far as she knew. Even though she'd never seen him hurting anyone, or being more than a minor irritant. She just had a feeling, a very strong feeling, that Akuma was a very bad person.

Chad looked down at her expression and looked over his shoulder. "You feel it as well?"

"Huh?" she muttered as she shook herself out of a trance she'd not realized she'd gone into.

The large boy looked down at her. "That guy. I don't like him. I know he is Ichigo's brother, I cannot speak ill of him to Ichigo, but..."

Inoue nodded. "Yeah. I don't know. Something feels..."

Sado closed his eyes and put his hands in his pockets. "When he is near, I feel as if I should fight him to keep him away from Ichigo. I do not understand, I know I should not feel this way. However, I cannot help it. Though I cannot say he has done wrong, I do not like him."

The girl nodded and smiled at him. "I...believe in Ku...Ichigo."

The broad shouldered boy nodded. "So do I. I do not believe in his brother."

Keigo and Mizuiro had already moved off, leaving the pair on their own. Inoue looked up at Chad. "Would, you mind...?"

He gave her a friendly smile. "I do not wish to walk alone either."

She blushed and nodded. "Thanks."

OooOOooOO

Ishida Uryu frowned as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "What?" He skidded to a halt and gasped as his eyes went wide.

"Going somewhere, Ishida?" said a familiar voice.

The boy narrowed his eyes and balled up his fist. "You?"

A figure in a long black cloak stepped out of the shadows with a cocky grin on his face. "Yeah. Me."

Uryu turned away and tried to keep going. "I've got no business with you..." He froze as the blade of a large sword barred his path.

"Not this time, Ishida. Go and find other prey."

The dark haired boy didn't react strongly. "What are you doing. Kurosaki?"

Akuma shook his head. "Don't get me wrong. I don't want to keep you from your...duties."

He scowled at the half demon. "Then get out..."

"No." Replied the white haired boy. "Not this time. Find other prey. This one is beyond you."

The Quincy growled a little at that. "What? Don't underestimate..."

Akuma frowned at him and cut him off. Ishida had never seen the boy's face as it was now. He didn't look like he was joking around "Look. This took a lot of trouble to set up. It's not for you. Get lost."

Uryu took a step back as he seemed to think he might have some understanding. "Some sort of Shinigami training?"

The white haired boy scowled at him. "This has nothing to do with the Shinigami, and it's beyond the jurisdiction of the Quincy. Get lost."

Ishida turned away and narrowed his eyes. "I'm reluctant to comply. I can't have you..."

Akuma gave a sigh. "I know what you sense. I know why you are here. You will not find a Hollow in this place, Ishida. I won't say more, what lies in wait in this place, is not under the jurisdiction of Shinigami or the Quincy. Get lost, I won't ask you again."

Uryu took another step back and narrowed his eyes. Akuma had just flashed the handles of two handguns on his belt at him. "What the?"

The white haired boy gave a snort. "Unless you intend to shoot me with that bow of yours, take off and find yourself another Hollow. You're not needed here."

Ishida turned away. "Very well, just this once. Don't expect me to turn away again. I'm not pleased about this."

The Kurosaki boy gave a snort and turned his back to him. "What pleases you does not concern me. Stay out of my way, I've got no interest in getting in yours."

Uryu glanced over his shoulder as he walked away. On the hilltop was a recently closed down Sake factory. It was a very old building, and the site of a recent murder. The sort of place that attracted bad spirits, and a magnet for creatures like Hollows. "What are you up to I wonder?" One thing he was sure of, Ichigo's brother was no Shinigami, and he wasn't a Hollow. "I suppose it doesn't matter. It's not really any of my business."

Still, he had a feeling, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the boy. He gave him a bad vibe, not enough to start a fight. His Quincy powers were not meant for grudges in the living world. He knew though, that Kurosaki Akuma was up to something, and that it involved things not of the living world. What it was, he had no idea, but he knew too much, and it was starting to bother him.

"Yeah. I need to start keeping an eye on him." He'd been watching Ichigo, but for some reason, Akuma disturbed him more. The white haired brother was no Shinigami, and that made him less interesting. After that meeting though, he couldn't ignore him any longer. He was up to something and Uryu doubted it was good for anyone but Akuma.

OooOOooOO

Ichigo locked the door to the clinic after realizing who was standing outside the door of the Kurosaki Clinic.

"Why did you lock the door!? My number one pupil!" cried the man as he pulled on the handle.

The boy was making sure the door didn't open by holding it shut. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to invite you for a drive my number one pupil!" exclaimed the man. He was in a flashy coat and was wearing a large crown on his head.

"What? How did you find my address? Go back where you came from!"

Kanoji waved his hand. "I already invited your friend!"

Rukia was standing behind him with an armload of bean paste sweets. "Look! Ichigo, he bought me all these bean paste sweets!"

Ichigo glared at her. "You...sold me out for an armload of bean paste sweets?!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You got me stuck in detention." The weakened Shinigami looked quite pleased with herself.

"That was Akuma! You bitch!" Ichigo growled and pointed at her.

Yuzu poked her head around the corner. "Brother, be quiet down..." She froze as her gaze fixed on who was just outside the glass doors of the clinic. "KYAAAAAAHHHH!"

Ichigo was on the ground with his little sister's footprint on the back of his head. She was squealing with glee and greeting Don Kanoji with the excitement of a young preteen fan.

Rukia knelt down beside Ichigo. "It's a Hollow. Come on."

Yuzu paused in the middle of her excited greeting. "Huh? What's a Hollow? Are you going somewhere?"

The black haired girl and her brother both turned to look at her in the middle of trying to sneak away.

Kanoji pointed his finger in the air. "Oh! A Hollow you say! Another of those foul creatures!"

Ichigo and Rukia were both in a sort of stunned shock. Yuzu had her brother by the collar, and Kanoji had taken Rukia by the shoulder. The man explained what a Hollow was to the little girl as she listened intently.

"Wow! Cool!" squealed the young brunette.

The man put his free hand on his hip and laughed. "Bohahahahahaha! It seems that duty calls! Don Kanoji is on the job! Come, we'll take my car!"

"W-wait!" muttered Ichigo.

Kuchiki seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, it would be faster." She grabbed Ichigo by the back of his shirt and threw him into the back seat.

"Don't I get any say in this?" he grumbled.

"Good luck!" cried Yuzu as she gave a cheerful wave from the door. "Wow! I had no idea Ichigo was getting into the spirit medium business."

Isshin looked on from the doorway. "Huh? Is Ichigo going somewhere? Was that...Don Kanoji?"

The girl smiled at her father. "Yeah. They're going to fight an evil monster called a Hollow together. It sounds exciting, but I guess it's too dangerous for me."

The man just stared at her. "Um, ahem. Yes. It sounds quite fun, but perhaps a bit too much for my little girl just yet." He put his hand on the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh.

The brunette frowned at him. "Cut it out Daddy. I know you can see like Ichigo and Karin can, remember. I know that stuff is real and that I'm not big enough to go along and help yet." She gave a heavy sigh. "Someday I will be though."

His face fell as she walked back to doing her chores. He hung his head and gave a heavy sigh as he looked at the picture of his wife in the kitchen. "Yeah. I suppose I should blame you for this."

Karin walked down the stairs and sat down with a magazine. She looked up and noticed her Dad standing in the kitchen. "What's with you?"

The man looked back at her with tear filled eyes. "My son is becoming a man!" He had tears in his eyes and looked to be full of chargin.

His daughter rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Whatever. I take it you noticed Ichigo ran off again to fight monsters?"

The man looked back at her with a bit of a shifty expression. "Well, yes. It's not like he's really..."

The girl glanced back at him and frowned. "Don't tell me you didn't notice him running around in those black clothes with a huge sword on his back Daddy. We're not stupid. We all know you can see it too you know? What's the big deal anyway?" She kicked up her feet and flipped the page in her magazine looking annoyed. "It's kind of a pain. He and those friends of his were shouting what they were doing to the whole neighborhood." She looked towards the door. "At least before he was trying to be a bit sneaky about it. How annoying, it's embarrassing."

Isshin just gave a heavy sigh and sulked away. He'd tried to give his family a normal life, away from this sort of thing. Ever since his son had come back, that idea had pretty much crumbled to dust. It wasn't so bad, but still. It was a bit of a pain after putting all that effort into some semblance of normalcy. He looked around. "Have you seen your brother around today?"

Karin glanced back at him. "Huh? He just left, there's no way you missed it."

Her father was a little annoyed. It was obvious Karin didn't care much for Akuma. She was reluctant to refer to him as her brother. He didn't mind, and they seemed to get along well enough. It just seemed to be the result of him teasing her a bit, and her being stubborn. "Not him. The troublemaker."

The raven haired girl seemed to think about it. "He left this morning. Said he had some errands to run. You know how he is about telling us anything. He just said 'it's best if you don't know'. and left."

Isshin rubbed at his neck and nodded. "All right. I'm sure they'll be back by dinner."

Karin gave a small snort in response to that. "As if they'd miss a meal."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo had just sliced a rather weak Hollow in half a few minutes before. He was a little annoyed.

Don Kanoji had attempted to 'assist' him, and ended up blasting it out of the way of his strikes twice. He'd just ended up giving the pudgy spirit that had remained a soul burial and the alleyway was now haunting free.

"Bohahahahahaha! Mission Complete!" cried the man as he adjusted his circular sunglasses.

Ichigo scowled at him. "Stop that, someone might notice us."

Rukia gave a small sigh and looked about. "Well, at least it was actually here this time."

Kurosaki nodded. "Yeah. It's been weird lately. I was starting to think that phone of yours was busted."

Kanoji leaned in to peer at it over her shoulder. "Some sort of spirit detector?"

She backhanded him in the face. "Hands off. You're not supposed to know about it."

The man clutched at his nose. "Am I not your ally?"

Rukia seemed to think on it. "Well, you were convenient today."

"Ouch," grumbled Ichigo. "Anyway. I guess we're done here."

The phone went off again. The girl narrowed here eyes. "Another Hollow!"

Kanoji pointed his finger in the air. "Quickly! To the Spiritmobile!"

"What?" Ichigo looked disgusted and shocked.

Rukia seemed to think about it. "Well, actually, that's not a bad name really."

Ichigo glared at her. "This is bad enough without him shouting embarrassing things like that!"

She waved her hand at him. "Forget about it. You've got to admit, it's pretty convenient. Come on. We'll get there faster in this metal chariot thing."

The blond boy snickered behind his hand. "Did you just say..." He was silenced a moment later by a right hook and thrown into the back seat on his back again. Rukia hopped into the passenger side of Kanoji's car.

OooOOooOO

The vehicle pulled up to a rather old building. It was a large building, an old sake factory. The sky was gray overhead, and the grounds had an eerie silence to them.

Rukia stepped out of the car and grabbed her shoulders, giving a small shiver. "What? This place, it feels..."

Don Kanoji frowned and pushed his glasses up a bit further. "Smells like bad spirits."

Ichigo frowned at him. "Quit it with the tag lines, there's no cameras here."

The girl glanced back at him. "He's right though. We should be careful. I'm not sure about this place."

The blond boy frowned at that. "Huh? What do you mean?"

She hung her head a little and looked at the ground ahead of her. "I'm not sure. I feel the presence of a Hollow for certain, but there's something else. A pressure I'm not familiar with."

There was a low rumbling in the sky above. Kanoji gasped and hopped into his car, putting the convertible top back up. "Better safe than sorry."

Ichigo started towards the building. His eyes had glazed over a little as he stepped towards it. Blood was pumping through his veins, he could feel his heart rate jump. It was not fear, but something else. Something, familiar lurked ahead. "What? What is...this feeling?"

"Wait! My number one pupil! We must go with caution! Remember that the spirits are always with us!" Kanoji jogged towards him.

Ichigo frowned a little and glanced back. Rukia strolled up and stopped well away from the door. She looked up at the sky. "Shit." Jogging forward she pushed Ichigo and Kanoji towards the entrance. "Hurry up, I don't want to get all wet."

After a moment they were all standing in a large warehouse. Rows of crates and caskets lined the walls. A few heavy duty shelves made rows on the otherwise open floor. It was a good sized building, and several huge vats and machines could be seen in the darkness on the opposite side of the warehouse floor for processing rice to make the sake.

Rukia scowled. "All right. Hurry up and find this thing and take care of it so we can get out of here." She had the large number of bean paste sweets waiting on her in mind. She took out her phone and turned it on, hoping to find a bit more information. There was none though, just an unknown Hollow somewhere in the building. "Great."

Ichigo and Kanoji were both peering into the shadows around them as they started walking in separate isles between the shelves in the floor. Each one peering about in the darkness of the building for the creature.

Rukia stayed near the entrance looking about with caution and checking her phone to try and figure out where it was exactly. She blinked in surprise, the signal for the hollow suddenly went dead. "Huh? What the?"

She stepped away from the doorway and towards the isles. "Ichigo! Hey! Something is up! The signal just went dead!"

"Huh?" he called back.

She put her hand on her hip and looked at the phone. "Is this stupid thing acting up again?" She didn't see the yellow eyes peering at her behind her back. It was joined by a new pair, and then another, and another, until eight pairs of eyes were looming behind her back in the darkness. "Hey. Keep your eyes open. The Hollow signal just disappeared suddenly. I'm not sure..."

"He served his purpose. So I eliminated the pathetic creature."

Rukia froze, her eyes became wide and she started to turn. "What the?"

OooOOooOO

Ishida Uryu frowned as he stood in the rain. He was looking at the old Sake factory and standing next to the car that was parked outside of it.

He was a little confused. Three people had entered the building, none of them in spirit forms. He knew Kurosaki Ichigo was a Shinigami, yet he'd gone into the place in his real body. "What's going on here?"

He didn't approach the entrance and simply stood waiting. The place had an odd spiritual pressure about it, beyond the presence of the Hollow within. He wasn't sure, but he thought he'd seen the man with his classmates on television before. He didn't watch much of it though, and when he did, it was usually a craft show or some sort.

He was more curious than concerned. Ichigo's brother seemed to imply that it was some sort of trap for his brother. He wasn't sure what to make of it all. Was Akuma trying to murder his brother, or was it some sort of test?

Ishida didn't care if the Shinigami died, but something about it all bothered him. He wanted to know what was going on. It was too strange, and his gut was telling him there was something very wrong about the place he was standing in front of.

The presence of the Hollow vanished. He clicked his tongue and started to turn away. "I guess it was nothing..."

A scream came from within the building. It was the girl's voice. Kuchiki, and it was more than just a scream of surprise. "What the?" There was a stack of crates next to one of the windows on the warehouse. He rushed over and dashed his way up the side of the heavy wooden boxes with ease. In a few seconds time, he reached one of the windows and looked into the darkness inside.

A flash of lightning overhead illuminated the inside of the building and his eyes went wide. "What the...hell?"

OooOOooOO

TBC..

Next Time: The Fang of the Eight Headed Serpent.


	7. Chapter 7

The Devil's Bleached Tears

Part 7

The Serpent's Fang.

OooOOooOO

Thunder rumbled as the rain fell outside the small sake factory. Rukia shielded her eyes from the flash as she staggered back from the voice behind her. "What?" A set of fangs and an open mouth was all she could see as her focus came back as her vision faded back. There was another flash of bright white, and the sound of breaking glass.

"Look out!" cried a voice that seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it.

She shifted her weight and dashed aside, only to feel something slam into her side and toss her into the air. "No!" cried the fallen Shinigami as she realized there were three more mouths headed for her in the air, all of them open with their fangs stabbing at her.

"Young lady!" cried Don Kanoji as he appeared at her side. The man thrust his staff forward and there was a rush of air as he grabbed her around her waist and landed nearby with a scowl on his face. Something that looked like a thick mass of writhing tentacles landed in the shadows and hissed in rage. "That creature? A hollow!"

"That's not a Hollow," said a vaguely familiar voice from beside them. "It's a demon."

Rukia gasped as she found herself set back on her feet and looked over. "Ishida? What? What are you?" She was getting her bearings back.

"You dare compare me to such a pathetic creature!" snarled the angry demon voice as the thing rushed forward again.

A loud bang sounded giving everyone else a start. Ichigo was standing on top of a box overlooking the scene. He had a scowl on his face and rested his smoking shotgun on his shoulder. "A demon? Who the hell are you anyway? What are you doing here?" Some sort of light beam had knocked the thing away from Rukia from the window and he'd jumped through. He was wearing an odd white outfit with a short cape.

"Kurosaki..." The boy turned to glare at him. "I'm not sure what's going on. We'll discuss this later. That thing isn't a Hollow. We should leave. Hurry up and get out of your body, or you won't be of any use."

The blond boy frowned at that. Rukia was near the other side of the room anyway. "Nah. I'll be fine."

"Are you stupid?" snapped Ishida in irritation. "You'll need your sword. That thing is different than a Hollow, but your spirit sword should be able to hurt it."

Don Kanoji was confused. "Leave, his body?"

"Heh. You think I'll let you fools escape me so easily?" The monster hissed in rage in the darkness. The door they'd come through burst into flames, and a wall of fire came to life along the walls, blocking the windows as well. An orange glow filled the room surrounding them on every side, and revealing the creature's form to them all.

It was a giant white snake, easily fifty feet long, with multiple necks and tails waving in the air in front of and behind it. The eyes of the thing were red and it hissed at them all with foot long fangs that dripped with dangerous looking venom, creating small clouds of toxic vapor as it hit the floor and burned into the stone flooring. "Pathetic fools. You've found yourselves in my lair, and I'm not about to let a meal just walk out of my den."

"Crap," grumbled Ichigo as he looked around.

"It seems we must prepare for battle," Don Kanoji spread his feet and scowled at the thing with a serious expression.

"Great, two Shinigami and an idiot." Uryuu wasn't sure why he'd done something so stupid. Seeing the demon had panicked him he supposed. It was a bit of a surprise. He should have known better, Ichigo's reiraku was red, but tinged with black as well. Much darker than Kuchiki's power. He was trapped now, and had no choice but to help them fight. He had been planing on taking the first opportunity to leave, and had thought that the Shinigami would be of the same mindset. They had no business fighting demons, that was the duty of angels. Both were a rare sight in the human world.

Ichigo hopped down off his box and glared at the thing. "You sure that's not a Hollow?" He couldn't see a hole.

Ishida gave a nod. "Yes, human reiraku is white, but a demons is black. I'm not an angel, I've got no business fighting that thing." He closed his hands around a bow made from his power. "It seems I have no choice though. We must fight to escape."

The monster seemed to tire of the conversation and was annoyed by Ichigo's words. "You'll all die!" It rushed at them and sent it's heads out to lash out at the group.

Rukia went pale as four of the heads went for her. She stumbled back moving between a few boxes away from it.

The other three forced the group to scatter. Ishida sidestepped and notched an arrow as he slipped behind it. Kanoji ducked under one of the heads and managed to roll over to a shelf to put some distance between it and him.

Ichigo went into the air and fired his weapon into the thing's mouth. The jaws snapped shut before it reached him and it shook it's head.

The girl found herself stumbling through boxes and shelves, having them smashed in the wake of the creature as it focused on her. She ran into the wall and gasped as she whirled around with a frightened expression on her face. All of the creature's heads were rushing at her at one time, it's fangs bared and ready to tear her appart.

It jolted to a stop as the things all snapped their jaws at her at once, inches away from her. The weakened Shinigami was pressed against the stones on the wall as hard as she could be. Her teeth were gritted and her eyes wide.

Ichigo had one of the eight tails in his grip as he scowled at the monster. He had it clutched in one hand, and his firearm was resting against his shoulder. The eight heads turned around to face him as one and narrowed their eyes as they growled.

"Hey, ugly. Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't pick on girls?"

The monster hissed. "I'm a demon. I was told that I should always pick on the weak. It's entertaining, and they make for easy meals."

Ichigo snapped his hand back and shifted his weight. The monster was pulled back and snapped like a whip in the other direction. As soon as it went tight in his hand, Ichigo released his fingers, sending it flying into the opposite wall. The stone held, but the monster crumpled and coiled up against it from the force of the impact. "Around here, that's considered rude." An aura of power had formed around his body, and he seemed far more calm and collected than anyone else in the room.

Uryuu had taken a shot at it from behind, and was near to where it had landed. His arrows bounced off it's scales, but he'd noticed Ichigo's weapon had hurt it when it struck it in the mouth. The strange gun had surprised him, but he didn't think anything of it and had notched another strike. He was planning on aiming at the eyes and mouth. All that was furthest from his mind as he lowered his am and looked on with wide eyes and a hanging jaw as the blond boy threw it across the room. "What?" He looked over his shoulder at the boy as he backed away. "What...is he?" The power coming from him was not that of a Shinigami.

Rukia was gasping for breath and looking relieved. "What took you? That thing almost ate me!" she snapped at her saviour.

He narrowed his eyes. "You could say 'thank you'."

She scowled at him. "There's no time for that. Use your sword and kill it. We can't get out until we kill it. That fire isn't normal, it's a barrier."

Ichigo grumbled and frowned towards the serpent. It was recovering and sliding back to face the four of them. "You had time to say all that though."

The monster lashed out at Don Kanoji and Uryuu, both of them backed away, but it didn't chase after them. The marksman shot an arrow at the thing as it snapped at him, but it bounced off the scales of it's nose and into the ceiling. A few small stones clattered to the ground and it continued forward towards where Ichigo and Rukia were standing.

The heads converged on the pair, and the blond boy punched and kicked at them in a flurry of motion. The heads were jolted back, but the thing kept coming snapping at him one after another. He hooked a kick across one of them and began firing at it with multiple shots of his weapon. It forced the thing back, but did little damage.

The creature waved it's heads around shifting from side to side, seeming to try to find an opening in the boy's defenses, but a few blows from his shotgun kept it from backing the pair against the wall.

"Kannon Ball!" cried Kanoji as he thrust his palm forward. The monster didn't seem to notice the slow approach of the projectile and ignored it. It screeched in anger as the small ball exploded, sending it on it's side against the wall. The tails lashed out at Kanoji, one struck him against his jaw and sent him flying into the side of one of the shelves. It toppled with him on top of it and he groaned in pain, unable to stand back up.

Rukia took the opportunity to smack the blond boy on the back of his head. "The Spirit sword fool! Use it! That gun of yours won't kill that thing!"

Uryuu gave a nod. "She's right. That's an interesting toy Kurosaki, but you've just managed to piss it off."

"Right. Spirit sword..." grumbled Ichigo as the monster recovered again.

"Pathetic human!" it snarled as it rushed forward. Ichigo gasped as it passed right by him and made a bee line for the black haired girl behind him. "Just die!"

Rukia screeched and tried to jump aside. One of the heads slammed into her side, but missed biting her. She was thrown into the stones and in front of it again.

Ichigo jumped into the air, bounced off the ceiling, and landed feet first on top of the pair that lunged after her. The pair of serpent heads were driven into the ground, but three others all converged on him. Ichigo cried out in pain as he was impaled on the fangs. One latched onto his shoulder, and two others bit into his torso from either side. His belly and chest were pierced by the foot long fangs.

The monster lifted him into the air and shook him violently. The three heads released him and tossed him aside. "I'll deal with you later, whelp."

Rukia gasped in shock with her eyes growing wide. "Ichigo!" His body crumpled to the ground face down when he landed. She was too shocked to move and stayed in front of the monster.

"Damn," growled Uryuu as he readied another arrow.

"Boy!" cried Kanoji as he reached forward. He had managed to fumble off of the fallen shelves and was on his hands and knees next to it. He staggered to his feet as he saw Ichigo thrown away.

The monster turned and fanned out facing Rukia. "Now, Shinigami, you die!" It converged on her from every direction.

The monster was pushed aside, not hard enough to throw it, but enough to make miss her. The medium had thrust his cane towards it with a scowl on his face. "Foul creature!"

The monster snapped at Rukia as she got enough of her senses back to move aside and out of it's way. "Shit!" One of the heads wasn't going to miss and she pulled up her arms to shield itself.

A flash of light impacted the inside of one of the monster's mouths. The arrow of light penetrated through the back of it's skull, sending it onto the ground limp. The monster screeched in rage and lashed out with it's eight tails at him. He hopped aside and bent his back as they passed over him, notching another arrow. One of the eight tails curled around his ankle though, and jerked hard. He hit the stone before being pulled into the air and thrown into several crates. They broke as he impacted them, and rice poured around his body. He grunted in pain from the impact, and was covered from head to toe in the grains. "Damn it."

Kanoji pulled on Rukia's arm, pulling her behind him. "Stay with me girl. That monster...it is after you."

She gasped and looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Ishida sputtered out a few grains of rice as he staggered to his feet. His arm was in pain, but not broken. He had it pulled against his side and gasped. "He's right. It's only kept us at bay. Every time it's attacked, it's targeted you."

The monster's seven heads hissed as they fanned up. The one Uryuu had impaled remained limp on the ground. "That's right. When I was released from my prison, the one who freed me made one request. 'Kill the Shinigami Kuchiki Rukia'."

The girl looked at it with wide eyes. "What? Who would...?" She was confused. Who would want her dead? She knew that she would likely get in trouble when she returned to the Soul Society. Still, they wouldn't want to outright kill her.

The monster narrowed it's eyes at Kanoji. "Step aside human, this does not concern you."

"I am not such a coward, beast." He raised his staff and focused his power.

"Look out!" cried Rukia as she tried to push him out of the way. It was too late. The monster's tails hit him from the side and he was thrown halfway across the room. He ended up on his side and reached for the girl as he tried to climb to his knees. "No! Run young lady!"

Uryuu tried to shoot it again, but two of the heads moved up to protect the one that was striking at Rukia. The arrow bounced off it's scales. One of them glared back at him. "I'll deal with you soon enough.

Rukia's feet were kicking as she found herself up to her waist inside the monster's mouth. She tried to scream, but all she felt was a cold disgusting wetness. Her senses were flooded with the stench of rotting flesh. Her feet were kicking at the air as the monster tried to lift her up and swallow her whole. She felt one of her legs stop as a firm grip latched onto her ankle.

Ichigo stared the head swallowing his friend down as he gripped at her leg. His free hand pointed his shotgun weapon right between its eyes. "Hey. Don't eat her, she's not a very nice girl, and she'll upset your stomach." He pulled the trigger and a loud report sounded.

The fallen Shinigami was coughing as she hung from his grip, face down on the ground. She was still screaming with her eyes shut.

Ichigo frowned at her. "Hey. Knock it off."

The girl stopped her scream and blinked, looking up over her shoulder as he looked down at her with her leg still in his grip. Her skirt was hiked up over her back, and she was covered in goo. "Ichigo."

He smirked. "Yeah. I gotta admit it stings a bit, but no way is that enough to take me down." His torso had four bloody holes in it, and his shoulder had another.

She blinked and narrowed her eyes as she noticed her own state. "Hey! What are you looking at you pervert!" She kicked him in the face and pulled her skirt back up over her legs.

"Ungrateful..." growled the boy from under her foot as he released her leg. She staggered to her feet and turned to face the monster. "What the hell are you doing? Where is your spirit sword? Stop goofing off and kill it! Take out the damn sword and..."

"I dunno how," muttered the blond boy as he flushed a bit.

Kanoji was on his feet as well and thrust his weapon at the monster. It hissed in irritation and shifted away. "You humans are becoming irritating." It launched himself at the man and Kanoji staggered back putting his arms up. He couldn't use his power again so soon after a strike and was defenseless.

An arrow of light slammed into one of the heads, this time impacing one of the monster's eyes. It screeched in anger and shook violently as the charge was stalled. The medium skittered out of the way and gave Ishida a nod. "You have my gratitude boy."

Uryuu gave a nod and pushed his glasses up his nose with one of his fingers. "It's weakest in it's mouth." He saw that the eye was damaged, but the arrow had not penetrated far enough to kill the head.

"What do you mean 'you don't know how'?" snapped Rukia as she grabbed the half demon by his collar. "I saw you do it! When we met Mr. Kanoji!"

"I dunno how I did that. It just sort of happened," He shrugged at her. "Sorry."

"Fine, I'll just knock you out of your body then." She scowled and pulled her glove out of her pocket. Before she managed to pull it onto her hand, she was struck from the side by the monster's tail. The girl was thrown across the stone floor and rolled to a stop about ten yards away.

"Rukia!" cried the boy in shock as he started towards her.

The demon was charging at her as well. It meant to rip her in half as soon as it got a hold on her and struck at her torso and legs with two of the heads.

The monster screeched. Ichigo appeared in front of her, his sword in his hand, with one foot stopping the head going for her legs. He hacked across the monster's open mouth and half the head continued forward, the other half hit the ground with a dull thump, kicking up dust.

The demon beast backed away snarling in rage. "Pathetic fool! I'll destroy you all!" It's eyes began to glow.

"Uh oh," grumbled Ichigo. He turned and lifted up Rukia and turned to face Kanoji and Uryuu. "Catch!" he tossed her across the room.

The pair managed to catch her, but barely so as they were surprised and confused.

"Boy! Look out!" cried Kanoji as he noticed the glowing in the remaining six heads mouths.

"That's..." cried Uryuu as he fumbled with the irate and struggling girl. She hit the ground on her rear and looked up at him in anger. "Hey! You jerk!" He'd just dropped her.

"I'm not here to help you." He scowled down at her.

She gasped in frustration. "You...you're an assh..." The fallen Shinigami was cut off as a whooshing sound filled the just after a bright orange glow.

Ichigo put up his arms as the six heads spewed flames from their mouths. He shielded himself with the flat of his blade, but it wasn't enough to cover him. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees with the blade stabbed into the ground as the fire surrounded him and consumed him.

"Ichigo!" cried Rukia from nearby as the fire died down.

"Just die!" snarled the demon as three of the heads charged him at once.

Before he realized what was happening, he was on his feet with the blade extended behind him. The three heads fell to the ground behind him as the air was sprayed with blood. He felt it covering his skin on his exposed chest, cooling the heat and sizzling against it. He was extremely hot, but did not feel burned. The boy was panting for breath and glared at the three remaining heads with glowing red eyes.

The three serpents screeched in shock and rage, the body tried to back away from him, but it was too late.

Ichigo made another swipe with his weapon, and cleaved through the three heads in one stroke, sending them tumbling down like cut trees and another spray of blood into the air.

He stood there and panted, gasping for breath. His muscles felt like they were on fire and his skin was cooked. The blood tingled with something dark. A voice echoed in his mind. "Power...give me more. I need more....I want more!!" He clutched at the sides of his head.

Rukia was looking on in shock. "What the?"

"Boy!" cried Kanoji. "Are you all right?" He started forward.

Uryuu put his arm up to bar his path and scowled. "What...is he?" Using a spirit sword, a Shinigami weapon, was impossible to do in a body. He didn't know that much about them, but that was one thing he was certain of. He'd called forth a spiritual weapon without leaving his body, and a dark flame was still burning around him.

Ichigo fell to his knees. He clutched at his head and groaned. His eyes wide and still glowing with power. The voice of the monster he'd just killed was echoing across the inside of his skull. "You have defeated me utterly boy. You have proven yourself stronger, worthy. Take my power, and make it your own."

He gasped as he looked up. Three of the tails were glowing with energy. The beasts form was turning to ash and embers, floating into the air and vanishing before him. It burned quickly, turning into a dark vapor as it vanished in front of him. The tails became bright orange, almost too strong to look at.

Uryuu, Rukia, and Kanoji were forced to shield themselves from the light and heat from the event.

Ichigo looked into it, his eyes not blinded, and the heat burned at him, but it was not painful. It wasn't comforting, or pleasant, but it still had an odd feeling of satisfaction behind it. Before him, from the tails, three objects appeared from within the fading light. A sword, a rope necklace with jade Magatama jewels, and a mirror.

He stood up and reached for the sword with a strange expression on his face.

"No! Don't touch it!" cried Uryuu as he took a step forward. His expression looked shocked and concerned.

Ichigo gave him a dark looking grin as he glanced over his shoulder. "Didn't know you cared."

"Ichigo! Wait!" Rukia looked much the same.

"It's a dark weapon boy! You don't want it!" agreed Kanoji.

He ignored them. "Yeah. I do." His hand gripped the weapon's hilt He pulled it from the air, and took the mirror and necklace with his other hand. The mirror was small, about six inches in diameter, but had a strap on the back of it. He hooked it through his left arm and clenched his fist as the strap grew tight on it's own. He pulled the necklace over his head and hung it from his neck, and then turned his attention to the blade. "Ama no Morakumo no Tsurugi." He spread his feet and held the weapon in an Iaido stance. He pulled it out in a fast curving strike, his eyes still glowing with power. The lighting struck outside again as he did so, and the air in front of him was instantly shrouded in a thick mist.

The wall crumbled away after his single stroke as if it had been cut eight times in a circular pattern, creating an octagon shaped hole in the wall that fell forward revealing the outside of the building.

Ichigo paused to regard the weapon with a frown on his face. It was dark, but the rain was letting up, and a few stars and some moonlight was now shining down. He could see it in the light that shined down on him from outside. The weapon was a cloudy silver, polished, but not reflective. It was about three feet long, and had an ornate octagon shaped hand guard that depicted eight serpent heads biting into each other's necks. "Kusanagi? You've got to be kidding me." It was etched into the side of the blade in very old characters. He replaced the weapon back into it's scabbard and looked at the mirror on his arm.

He gasped as he looked at it, the thing looking back at him was cruel and mean looking. It's eyes were glowing with power and two horns curved down the sides of it's face from it's forehead. The skin was black and red, and sharp gnarled teeth leered at him. He gasped in shock and blinked. The face was gone when his eyes opened again, replaced with his own, but with a strange violet aura surrounding him. His irises glowed red, but he looked mostly human, and his expression actually mirrored his real one. "What was that?" The mirror was strange, and had some sort of power within it.

"You idiot! What the hell are you thinking!?" snapped Rukia as she charged up next to him. "Those are demonic weapons...they're..."

Ichigo looked down at her with his normal serious expression. "Devil Arms."

She gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"What the hell is going on here?" Ishida looked cautious and scowled at Ichigo.

Don Kanoji seemed a bit worried as well. "Indeed. You should never have touched..."

The boy snapped at them both. "Shut the hell up would you? I'm fine."

Rukia glanced back at the pair. "All right. Look, just get rid of them. You don't need them."

"Who the hell are you anyway? What are you doing here? Thanks for the help, I guess." Ichigo ignored her and looked towards Uryuu.

He looked surprised. "You...don't know me?"

The blond boy scratched at his head. "Should I?"

Ishida hung his head a little. "I'm in your class. My name is Ishida Uryuu, and I hate Shinigami."

Rukia scowled at him. "Why did you help us then? Who are you anyway? I've never seen a human like you before."

Don Kanoji was confused and kept silent. He looked back and fourth between the group and leaned against the nearby wall in what he hoped was a cool pose.

Uyuu scowled at her. "That demon surprised me. I wasn't expecting to find something like that here. As for the rest, it's none of your business Shinigami. We're not allies, I only helped you out because I got stuck inside that barrier with you." He walked out of the hole in the wall and away from the scene.

"Man, what crawled up his ass?" grumbled Ichigo. "I guess we kind of owe him. What's up with that guy though? He had that weird bow and arrow."

Rukia scowled at him. "I'm not sure. I suppose he's not an enemy. He didn't attack us or anything. I'm not sure what the deal is with him and Shinigami. I guess he can see us, he's got very high spiritual power for a human."

Don Kanoji looked confused. "You...are invisible? What's a Shinigami anyway? Something to do with those Hollow things?"

Rukia seemed to remember he was there. She tensed up, but then relaxed. "I guess you're okay. It's not that big a secret, but we don't like humans to find out about it. I'm not human. This body is fake. Shinigami guide human souls into the next life. We try to do it before they become hollows when we can. If a human soul stays on this plane of existence for too long, it becomes a Hollow. It is also the duty of the Shinigami to cleanse souls that become Hollows and then send them into the next life as well."

The man nodded. "I see, like that creature my Number One Student and I fought at the hospital?" He seemed to be doing his best to take it all in.

She nodded. "That's right. Normally it's my job, but something happened and I lost my powers. So, Ichigo has been helping me."

The medium nodded. "Very noble."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Well, that thing is dead now. I guess we should go." He didn't seem to notice that the three objects he'd picked up had vanished.

Rukia nodded at that. She looked at Kanoji. "Look, I appreciate your help and all, but hunting Hollows is the duty of the Shinigami. Humans shouldn't get involved. I suppose knowing about it might be helpful seeing your job and all, but...if you ever see a Shinigami fighting a Hollow, get out of the way and let them do their job. They won't be happy with you if you interfere. I suppose you're useful, and I can't really turn down you help given the circumstances. You can help out Ichigo until I get my powers back and can go back home. I'm bending the rules as it is, so I guess there's no harm in it. Don't get in the way of a real Shinigami though, they know what they're doing and don't need help from humans. They're trained professionals after all, it takes many years and special training to become one."

Don Kanoji frowned a bit at that. "Yes. I understand." He didn't really, but then, she was just a girl. She obviously didn't understand his manly duty. He would continue to help his student, it was obvious he had to face a dark power, and those weapons he'd picked up were dangerous. "Boy. About that sword..."

Ichigo scratched his head. "Look, don't worry about that."

Rukia narrowed her eyes at him and poked him in the chest. "You'd better. Devil Arms are..."

"I know," he replied a little sharply. "I need them."

"For what?" she snapped. "You've already got a Spirit Sword..."

Ichigo frowned at her. "I won't after you leave. I've run into Hollows too much for my own liking since I met you, and not all of them were because we've been looking for them. I'm gonna need protection to keep them from killing me, and I don't feel like spending the rest of my life trying to beat them with my bare hands."

She sucked in a quick breath. "What?"

Don Kanoji frowned at that. "Those weapons hold a dark power, it could consume you. It is best not to meddle in such things boy. There are other ways to fight such battles. Demonic weapons are dangerous, such power is not for humans to wield, it corrupts and can control you."

The blond boy looked over at him. "I'll be fine. I can control it."

Kanoji narrowed his eyes. "Don't be a fool. Throw them away."

Ichigo smirked at the man. "Not on your life. Look, I guess I sort of like you and all. I'm not human either. My Mom was a demon, and I can control weapons like this. I'm half demon."

The man froze whit his jaw hanging a little while holding his finger up.

"What?" muttered Rukia with a blank expression on her face. "You..."

The boy frowned at them both and crossed his arms. "What do you think Akuma has been doing? He doesn't beat me up just for fun, though, I guess that's part of it."

Rukia took a step back and a shocked expression crossed her face. "He's...showing you how to use your power?"

The boy gave a nod. "That's right. That's how I'm able to use this." He held up his shotgun. "It's just one of those models from some store in Akihabara. It's my own power that makes it work. It's a pain in the ass, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to stop running into stuff like this after you... go back." He shifted his eyes away from her. He hadn't really thought about Rukia leaving in a while. Though, he wasn't surprised to hear it either. He knew she wasn't going to hang around forever. In fact, it was taking longer than he'd expected for her powers to return. They didn't seem to have come back even a little. "I'll be fine. That thing was called Yamata no Orochi. This is some sort of legendary sword. There's an old folklore tale about it and some demigod named Susanoo used to use it. He gave it to Amaterasu's grandson, and some stuff happened I guess. It's no big deal."

Don Kanoji looked at him with wide eyes. "S-Susanoo? That blade...is Kusinagi no Tsurugi?"

Ichgio nodded. "Yeah. Pretty cool huh?"

"Amazing." The man seemed to think on it. "I admit, that is something of a relief. Still, he was a God. I suggest you take care. Such a dark power is not to be taken lightly."

Ichigo gave a small sigh. "All right, can we just go?" He turned and walked out of the hole he'd made.

"Ichigo! Wait!" called Rukia.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Huh? What is it?"

"Are you sure...you want to be walking around outside naked?" she replied.

"Huh?" his face fell a little. "What do you...?" He looked down and his eyes went wide. "What?" His clothes were gone. He dropped his hands to his crotch and turned beet red. "What the hell?"

Don Kanoji pulled off his cape and handed it to him. "Yes. Do you not remember? That monster burned them off."

He looked at him as he took the cape and covered himself. "I've been standing around naked for that long?!"

Rukia was chuckling. "You just now noticed?"

He glared at her. "After you hit me for being a pervert? You go and let me stand around naked for ten minutes and don't say anything? You bitch! " He had the cape wrapped around his waist.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why would I want to look at that? I wasn't staring at you or anything. I thought you just didn't care." With that, she crossed her arms and turned her back on him.

Don Kanoji laughed. "I too thought you were just unconcerned. Don't worry, I have some spare clothes in my trunk."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" grumbled Ichigo dejectedly. He was very embarrassed.

While they went towards the car, Rukia slapped her fist into her palm as she remembered something. She looked over her shoulder. "Hey, I dropped my glove. I'm gonna go find it while you get dressed."

"Whatever," grumbled Ichigo from behind the now open trunk.

She walked into the darkened and wrecked remains of the old sake factory. After a few moments of scanning around the room, she found it near the wall. Rather, she found what was left of it. It had fallen into the barrier, and was now a charred hunk of leather. "Great. Totally destroyed." She picked it up and tossed it back to the ground. It was useless, and beyond repair.

She scowled at it for a moment and looked towards the hole in the wall. It didn't matter much anyway, she could replace it, but she didn't have any need for it. Ichigo didn't need to leave his body to help her out. Though, it did make things easier. It could disrupt his schooling and make it more difficult for them to slip off during classes. "I guess I'll have to replace it tomorrow." It wasn't a necessity, just a convenience though. They couldn't get Kon out of his plushy body without it so he wasn't useful if they didn't have it. "Crap, it's going to be expensive." She had enough though. She and Ichigo had been pretty busy over the past two months. Taking down Grand Fisher had garnered quite a bounty as well. Still, she was cheap, and it was frustrating.

"Hey. You ready to go? We shouldn't hang around." Ichigo said from behind her.

"Yeah. I..." Rukia turned and burst into laughter.

The boy was wearing a flashy shirt and pants that were both studded with rhinestones. Kanoji had tried to give him a hat, jacket, and cape to go with it, but he'd refused. "It's not funny damn it."

"Yes it is!" She was bent over holding her belly and slapping her knee. She looked up at him and another fit of laughter struck her.

He growled and looked even more embarrassed. It was only slightly better than being naked in his mind. "Come on. We've got to go. We'll get arrested if we get caught hanging around here. I want to hurry up and get home so I can change." He'd considered refusing the clothes and just keeping himself covered with the cape, but figured that would be even harder to explain than what he was wearing when he got home. He'd been forced to accept them.

OooOOooOO

"Wow! Great outfit!" Isshin beamed as he noticed his son's clothes. "Where did you get that? I had no idea my boy had such great fashion sense!"

Ichigo froze as he looked at his dad with a sour expression on his face. "I uh...had to borrow it from a friend. My clothes got kind of messed up."

His father's grin got a little wider. "I see. How did you mess up your clothes? You didn't bring them back?"

His son hung his head. "No. I um...it's a long story. They were completely destroyed, so I threw them away."

Akuma walked halfway down the stairs with a heavy metal magazine in his hand. He paused, took one look at his brother, and burst into laughter.

The blond boy scowled at him and stomped past. "Asshole."

The white haired boy was bent over the railing with tears in his eyes.

At the top of the stairs he ran into Karin who had a similar reaction. "What...what are you wearing?" she gasped through her laughter as she leaned against the wall.

"I hate my family," he muttered as he ducked into his room. He started taking off his clothes and tossed them onto the ground. He was very glad to be rid of them. He considered burning them, but decided he should just return them to Don Kanoji. The guy had turned out to be pretty decent, even if he was kind of an idiot. He'd helped them out a lot that night, and saved Rukia's butt more than once. A familiar chuckle from his closet had him reconsidering how grateful he was about that.

"What? That's a good look for you."

He was naked, but she'd already seen it. "Shut up would you? This is bad enough as it is." He pulled on a pair of underwear and started going through his drawers for pants and a shirt. Within a minute he was clothed again. He turned and found her sitting outside his closet looking cheerful.

"Enjoy watching me get dressed pervert?" he groused.

Her smile faded a bit. "Someone tried to kill me."

"Not really. He needed a Devil Arm of his own, but the Orochi demon was pretty nasty. I didn't want him getting killed, so I had it focus on you rather than him. I let him out, and then set him on you so he'd be forced to destroy it." Akuma was grinning at the pair as he walked into the room and closed the door with his usual creepy grin.

"What?!" snarled Ichigo as his eyes became enraged.

His brother chuckled, seeming to enjoy the scowl he was getting from the both of them. "Not that I wouldn't have minded if Rudelma had gotten killed, but I didn't really expect it. I knew he could handle it, after all, I'm the one who set all that up. Though, I admit the Quincy and the Medium getting involved was a little surprising."

Rukia had her fist balled up and stood up. "You...you sent that thing after me?"

Akuma didn't appear very worried about the twin glares. "Of course. You're using my brother for your own ends, and it's getting in the way. I didn't expect you to actually die, but you really can't complain about me using you after you've been using him for so long."

"You bastard." Ichigo was getting upset and was shaking.

Akuma wagged his finger at him. "Not in the house, Ichikun. You know the rules. We'll... discuss it later."

His brother backed down a bit. "You better believe it. You leave my friends out of this." He was not pleased.

Akuma nodded. "Yes. Don't worry. Now that you've got Devil Arms, I've got no reason to bother with anything like that again. You can collect a few more on your own if you want. You don't really need me for that sort of thing. Any time you slay a stronger demon, you'll gain another."

"That thing wasn't so strong," grumbled Ichigo.

Akuma gave a snorting laugh. "Of course not. He just woke up a few days ago. He'd not returned to full power yet. That's why I chose him, he was considerably weakened by his long nap and being sealed away." He gave him a dangerous looking smirk as he opened his eyes a bit more. "If I'd waited any longer, he'd have torn you apart. You're still weaker than you imagine, you've got no control. You're barely aware of your own power, much less in control of it. A real demon would destroy you as you are now."

Rukia growled like an animal at him. She looked like she wanted to jump at him and rip out his throat with her teeth.

Akuma was relaxed and unconcerned. "Now, now. He'll be much more useful, you shouldn't complain." He turned his gaze on his brother. "After all, now that you're ready, the real fun begins. With a Devil Arm of your own, I don't have to hold back near as much as I have been." He turned and opened the door while looking over his shoulder. "Don't feel bad, you're just now getting strong enough to be entertaining. I'll come back once you've had the chance to cool off a bit." He paused as he turned his head after he walked out of the room.

Karin was leaning against the wall with her hand over her mouth and wide eyes. She looked up at him and gasped. He grinned at her. She staggered away a little and he patted her head as he walked down the hall towards the stairs.

Kon was sitting on the dresser looking on at the whole conversation. "What happened anyway?"

Rukia growled. "That jerk set some demon after me and tried to kill me."

The stuffed animal frowned at that. "He wouldn't. I mean, why would he want to kill big sister Rukia?" He turned his head and froze. "Uh oh."

Karin was standing in the doorway looking at the three of them.

Ichigo frowned at Kon. "What do you mean..." He turned his head towards the door. "Crap."

Rukia was frozen like a deer in headlights. "I uh...hello. You...you must be...Ichigo's little sister..."

Her eyes drooped half closed. "I heard everything. What's going on here? What the heck is a Shinigami anyway?"

Ichigo's head dropped. "Crap. Um, Karin...look. It's not what it looks like...really. I uh..."

Rukia grabbed a book from the floor. "Yeah. I'm helping him study...for a test."

The girl crossed her arms. "I told you I heard everything. My hearing has gotten a lot better. It's kind of weird, but I can hear what's on television downstairs right now." She closed the door and leaned against it. "Now what's going on here? Does this have anything to do with those monsters? Hollows or whatever? Akuma tried to kill her?"

Rukia dropped the book. "Kind of. I, um.... Ichigo's been helping me. I'm a Shinigami, I fight Hollows, and it's complicated."

Her brother sat down on his bed. "Look, don't tell Dad about this. It's bad enough as it is. There's nothing weird going on or anything."

His sister looked over at Rukia and the closet. "It looks like there's a girl living in my brother's closet, there's a talking stuffed animal on the dresser, and you're running around fighting monsters most people can't see with a spirit medium from television and your girlfriend. What exactly about all that isn't weird?"

Ichigo scowled at her. "She's not my girlfriend. Look, don't worry about it. I don't want you getting involved. It's dangerous, and I'm only helping out for a little while. Things will go back to normal soon."

His little sister narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you, but I'm not going to tell Dad. Besides, he already knows about you running around fighting those Hollow things or whatever. He was there when Mr. Kanoji came by the other day, and I told him about it already. The way you've been running around, it's a wonder the whole neighborhood hasn't noticed."

The boy looked at her with wide eyes. "Huh?"

Rukia's jaw was a little slack. "What?"

She shrugged at the pair. "Look, I'm fine with it and all, but I don't think Dad would like it much if he found out you've got a girl living in your closet..."

The boy scowled at her. "What do you want?"

She smirked at him and held out her hand. "Your Ironhead CDs. All of them."

His eyes grew wide and he worked his mouth like a fish. "What? That's blackmail!"

Her grin grew wider. "Hey, I'm half demon too you know. I guess I'm not all that good. Now that I've got you under my thumb, I might as well make use of it." She leaned forward. "Pay up, or I'm telling."

He scowled as he stood up, took a stack of CDs from the bookshelf, and put them into her hands. "You'd better keep quiet."

"Sure thing. Just...don't get her pregnant or anything. I kind of like her I guess," she chirped. She walked out of the room and skipped to her own room.

"That brat," grumbled Ichigo as he watched her leave. "She's not my girlfriend damn it." She was gone, but he suspected she could hear him.

Rukia gave a small sigh. "I guess we should be careful about what we say around here." She wasn't going to say anything, but Karin had brightened her mood a little. She wasn't as upset as she had been before the girl had shown up.

The door opened up and Yuzu walked into the room. "Oh. Hi." Rukia made for the closet, but didn't make it in time.

Ichigo hung his head. "Damn it."

The brunette girl smiled at them both. "Well, I can't say I approve, but since you're here and everyone but Dad knows..." She blushed a bit.

"You can hear through the walls too?" grumbled her brother.

Yuzu shook her head. "No. I just sort of figured it out, and I saw Karin come in here. There's no way you'd give up those CDs unless she had something on you. Kon talks about Kuchiki, I asked him about it. He didn't say anything about her staying here, but I clean the house, and I've...noticed things." She turned to look at Rukia. "Just put your laundry in with Ichigo's. Don't worry, Dad will never notice, he doesn't touch it. I'll make an extra plate and have him bring it up with him. I sort of figured out he's not the one eating those snacks he keeps bringing up here every night."

Rukia was looking at the floor. "Um, thank you."

Karin smiled. "Just...make sure you use protection, and try not to make too much noise."

Ichigo had his head in his hands. "She's not my girlfriend. It's complicated, I'm just helping her fight those..."

The girl shrugged. "Yeah. Sure. Those Hollow things that Mr. Kanoji told me about. Whatever. I guess I won't tell, but..." She turned and narrowed her eyes at the older girl. "You'd better take care of my brother."

She shrugged. "Sure thing."

"Okay," the girl smiled. "I'll see you." She left the room and closed the door. After a moment, she walked into her room and smiled up at Akuma. "You're right. That was fun."

He seemed pleased. "I told you. Just make sure you don't tell Dad, all right? We can tease him like this for months." He patted her head and left the room. She smiled and enjoyed the moment before walking out herself and heading for the kitchen. She had to start dinner soon after all.

In Ichigo's room, the boy was sitting on his bed. "Great. Just great."

Rukia gave a small sigh. "I guess it's kind of a relief. I don't have to be quite so careful. Now I've only got to worry about your Dad."

He glared at her. "Everyone thinks we're having sex."

She cocked her head. "Well, I have seen you naked."

"Shut up," he grumbled.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. I was just kidding." She rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Whatever." He flopped down and spread out his arms on his back next to her. "I guess it does make things a little easier. I doubt old beardo will notice if Karin and Yuzu are helping out."

She cocked her head. "Not very observant huh?"

He turned his head towards her. "You've met him. What do you think?"

She shrugged. "Only a few times. I guess you'd know better than I do." She pulled out her phone and scowled at the screen as she flipped through it. "Crap."

Ichigo sat up. "What is it? Another Hollow?" He almost hoped it was, just to work off his frustrations a little.

Kon was sitting on the dresser looking on. They didn't use him outside of school, so he doubted he'd have to cover for Ichigo if it was.

Rukia frowned at him. "No. My glove got destroyed, and it's going to be more expensive than I thought to replace it."

Ichigo shrugged. "So what? I don't need to leave my body anyway, right?"

The fallen Shinigami frowned at him. "We can't get Kon out of that body without it. How are you going to get out of class without him to cover for you?"

He furrowed his brow at that. "I guess you've got a point."

She nodded. "Right. We need it. Even if it's just a convenience, it would disrupt your normal life if we didn't have it."

Kon gave a heavy sigh. "I guess I'm stuck here for a while then? No point in going to school if I'm stuck like this anyway."

Rukia gave a nod. "For now. I'll deal with it tomorrow." She looked at Ichigo. "You should skip school tomorrow. Play sick or something."

He scowled at that. "I live in a clinic. My Dad will know if I'm faking." He put his hands behind his head. "My reputation is bad enough as it is."

She frowned at him. "If there's a Hollow, we might not be able to get you out of class. Just leave like normal, and don't show up. It's not like your reputation is going to get any worse if you get caught cutting for one day."

He looked annoyed, but nodded. "All right, but just this once. I guess." He wasn't entirely comfortable with it.

"You'll be fine. What's the worst that can happen? It's not like we're doing it just for fun." She looked at him.

He frowned at her. "If we get caught, it will make the rumors about us even worse."

She didn't care. "So what? It's good cover. Just don't get any ideas."

"Not even if you paid me," he responded.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she scowled at him.

"You're not cute and a total brat. No way." He looked up at the ceiling. "I don't even like rumors about us, but I guess you're right. It is a good cover, sort of. Just annoying cover."

She turned her nose up. "Fine, be that way." She stood up and walked into the closet, closing the door. "I am cute."

Ichigo scratched his head. "Eeeh." He was irate with her, and she didn't seem very upset.

OooOOooOO

"Huh?" said Keigo.

Ichigo scratched his head and scowled without looking at him. "I said I'm not going today. I've got something to take care of. Cover for me all right? Say I was sick or something."

Mizuiro cocked his head. "That's not like you."

"Yeah. What gives, it's taco day." Keigo looked shocked.

Ichigo froze and went rigid. "Huh? Taco day?"

Mizuiro nodded. "Yeah. I've been looking forward to it all month."

"Damn. It would have to happen on Taco day," Ichigo balled up his fist and growled in frustration.

"What happened?" pressed Keigo.

"Nothing, just some...personal business I have to take care of. I'll be in class tomorrow, it's just a one time thing." Ichigo shoved his hands into his pockets. He moved ahead of the pair and waved over his shoulder. "Sorry about this. I'll see you guys tomorrow all right? It's no big deal."

The pair looked surprised, but not upset. "Huh. I wonder what that was about?" muttered the brunette boy as he shifted his book bag.

The black haired boy cocked his head. "Who knows? It's probably nothing. He said it was just a one time thing. I believe him, it's not like him to cut class for no reason."

Asano nodded at that. "You're right, but now I'm going to be wondering all day. It's going to effect my studies."

Kojima grinned at him. "That's implying that you were actually going to do well to begin with."

Keigo glared at him. "What was that?"

"Nothing, come on. He'll be fine. I'm sure it's nothing. He's not sick or anything, and he can take care of himself."

"I guess you're right."

OooOOooOO

Kuchiki hung her head. "Three days?"

Urahara nodded. "That's right. It's not a high request item. I don't have any in stock."

She scowled at him. "I don't suppose you've got anything that will do that I can borrow until then? I'm sort of stuck."

He seemed to think on it. "Hmmm. Well, maybe. I'll have to dig around a bit." He started going through boxes. "What happened to your old one anyway?"

She looked annoyed. "It got destroyed in a spiritual barrier."

He paused and looked over his shoulder. "A spiritual barrier? One strong enough to destroy one of those isn't something a normal Hollow could make."

She hung her head a little. "It was a demonic barrier."

He nodded. "I see. Thinking of taking up demon hunting? You can get in trouble for that. It's outside Shinigami protocol."

Rukia shook her head in a violent manner. "No way. It was a one time thing. I ended up in a demon lair. Some idiot unsealed one on the mortal plane. We were after a Hollow that was inside. It was a real mess, and I'd rather not talk about it."

Urahara nodded. "I see. That's unfortunate luck. You should be glad you survived." He shifted through the contents of the box in front of him. "Ah. Here we go. Now, I suggest you only use this in the event of an emergency. It's pretty old, and it works fine, but..."

She looked at the object in his hand, it was an ornate looking knife with a skull on the bottom of the handle. "Is that?"

He smiled at her. "Yes. Shinigami stopped using them years ago. I'm afraid it's all I've got that will do."

"A death walker knife?" she muttered. She'd never seen one before, it was something that hadn't been used for almost five hundred years.

The man smiled at her. "That's right. It will allow him to leave his body and return to it."

She gave a sigh. "I guess it will have to do. I suppose I can't be picky." Shinigami had stopped using them for a reason. It was painful, and the knife couldn't be removed from the body until the original owner returned. Most humans couldn't see it, but those with a high enough spiritual power could. There had been cases in the past where Shinigami gigai had been reported as murder victims because of the knives. A gikongan could still be used with the knife in place, and it was only painful during the initial use and when it was removed. She looked at her phone and saw that classes were going to be starting soon. There was no way to make it in time for school. "All right. I'll be by in a few days to pick it up."

Urahara smiled at her. "There's no hurry. I'll hold it until you drop by, and we'll just trade when it gets here."

OooOOooOO

Orihime frowned and hung her head a little. "Kurosaki is out today?"

Tatsuki shrugged. "I guess so. Keigo and Mizuiro are both here and they usually show up together."

Chizuru narrowed her eyes a little and leaned forward. "Am I the only one who noticed that Kuchiki is gone as well? That's an odd coincidence don't you think?"

Arisawa frowned. "I suppose. You don't think...they cut class together?"

Michiru leaned forward. "We could ask his brother, he's here."

The girls looked over at where Akuma was sitting, with an empty desk in front of him.

"No way. I don't trust that guy," grumbled Tatsuki.

Orihime was staring at Rukia's empty desk. "You...don't think? I suppose they are really good friends." It made her chest grow tight, and she didn't really understand why. "Well, I hope they're together. I'd hate to think one of them was ill. Ishida is gone as well."

Mahana nodded. "Yeah. He is. I was hoping to ask if he'd fix a blouse I brought with me today. The collar ripped the last time I wore it."

"I hope it's nothing serious," said Orihime.

Tatsuke glanced at her. "I'm sure it's nothing. He probably got challenged or something."

The redhead glanced over at her friend. "But...it's taco day. Kurosaki, never misses taco day. Not even once."

Tatsuki went a little rigid. "Huh? Hey, you're right. I wonder what gives? He wouldn't cut class for nothing on taco day. It must be something he thinks is pretty important."

Chizuru frowned at that. "Huh? Are you serious?" She was clearly confused.

Tatsuki frowned at her. She'd fondled Orihime as usual, but was being pretty well behaved that day. At least by her normal standards. "Kurosaki -never- misses taco day. I've known him for years, and he's always at school on taco day."

"That's right. Oh, now I'm a bit worried." Orihime fretted a little at the thought of what might make Ichigo miss taco day. It had to be something very important.

Chizuru looked annoyed. "What kind of idiot decides what day to skip school based on whats being served for lunch?"

Mahana shrugged. "Boys are just like that."

Michiru frowned at her. "You don't miss taco day either."

The girl blushed a little at that. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's taco day after all."

"Well, whatever it is, it must be pretty important to him," said Tatsuki. She glanced at his brother. Akuma was waiting patiently for the teacher to arrive. She deliberated, and decided she didn't want to know that bad.

Orihime looked worried and stood up. She walked over to the boy's desk. "Akuma, I was wondering, what happened to Kurosaki?"

He looked up at her with his creepy grin. "Huh? I'm not sure. Said he had to take care of something. I saw him with that girl, what's her name, earlier. Ranoldi or whatever. They ran off though. I didn't bother asking. It's none of my business."

The girl smiled. "Oh. That's a relief. I was worried something might be wrong."

Akuma was a little surprised by her reaction. "Oh. Okay."

She went back to her desk and sat down smiling.

"Well?" asked Mahana.

"Yeah," agreed Michiru. "Did you find anything out?"

She nodded. "Yes. He's with Kuchiki, but I'm not sure why. I'm sure everything is fine though. They're good friends."

Tatsuki made a choking sound and almost fell out of her desk. She didn't want to say anything, but if Ichigo was skipping taco day for a girl, it was likely they weren't just friends. "Really? I mean, that's what he said?"

"Yes," said the redhead as she nodded and smiled at her.

Mahana spoke up. "That sounds like more than just friends to me."

"Uh huh." agreed Michiru.

"What?" said Orihime as she smiled back at them obliviously.

"Nothing," replied the pair as they looked embarrassed. Neither one had the heart to explain any further.

Chizuru was rubbing her hands together. "Yes! That means Orihime is free. Don't worry Orhihime, I'll comfort you in your time of need."

Tatsuki had her face in her hands. "That dope."

OooOOooOO

Keigo leaned towards Mizuiro. "Hey, did you notice Kuchiki was gone too?"

The black haired boy nodded. "Yeah. Weird huh?"

The brunette glanced over. "Yeah. Kind of makes you wonder if it has anything to do with why Ichigo took off today, doesn't it?"

Ryo peered at the pair over her book. "I thought you said he was sick?" She narrowed her eyes at the pair.

Keigo glanced back. "Um, well..."

Mizuiro smiled at her. "Actually, he said he had personal business. You know he's not the type to cut for no good reason. It's probably a coincidence."

The girl scowled and glanced over at the girl's empty desk. "I guess you're right. Still, I'd better not find out you're covering for him to cut class for frivolous reasons. Miss Ochi wouldn't be very pleased if she found out."

"She's scary," whispered Keigo.

Mizuiro shrugged. "Miss Ochi would probably say how wonderful it is he's enjoying his youth."

The brunette boy seemed to think on it. "Well, you're right. I'm more worried about Kunieda. She'll make us miserable for weeks if she finds out he's skipping to hang around with his girlfriend all day."

Kojima nodded. "Well, we should wish him luck then."

Keigo looked to agree. "Right. I hope he gets lucky, so we won't suffer in vain if she finds out we covered for him."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo looked around as he strolled through the streets. They were fairly busy, and he looked old enough that he didn't have to worry about being nabed as a High school student skipping class. Most anyone would assume he was a college student or something. He was tall, and he'd ditched his uniform and school bag in a safe place near the school. He'd pick them up and change back later.

Rukia would be meeting him soon, but as it was, he was just taking it all in and relaxing in a small stroll. He'd bought a soda and had the can in his grip as he looked about. There wasn't much different, but a noticeable lack of youth in the light crowd. He didn't seem out of place though.

After a short time, he found himself standing on top of a small hill next to a white painted railing that overlooked a section of housing. He could see small yards and rooftops stretching into the distance. It was a nice day and the sun was shining down overhead with light cloud cover. It was warm, but not hot, and a nice breeze was blowing through town. He put his hand in his pocket and sipped on his drink. It finished it off, and he tossed it into a nearby trashcan next to a phone booth.

There were cars passing by on the road behind him, but no one walking along the sidewalk. It was peaceful and serene, the perfect day. His lips turned down a little as he looked out over the homes. "I can't believe I'm missing taco day."

"Kurosaki," said a familiar voice.

"Huh?" he turned his head and noticed Uryuu standing nearby. The boy was looking at him with a serious frown on his face. "Oh. It's you. What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?" said the boy firmly.

That caught the blond off guard. "Huh? I thought you said we had class together or something? What's with you anyway? That bow thing you did and all."

The black haired boy gave a snort at that. He was wearing his white clothes again and seemed irate. "I'm a Quincy."

Ichigo looked confused. "That doesn't mean anything to me, sorry. You didn't have to run off like that ya know. If you wanted to ask I mean."

"I hunt Hollows. Forgive me for not wanting to hang around and talk to a naked boy."

The demon half blushed at that a little. "Sorry about that, it's not like I stripped or anything. That stupid thing burned off my clothes. Hunt Hollows? Like a Shinigami or something?"

"No. I'm nothing like a Shinigami. I hate Shinigami," replied the boy. "What are you? You're not human. No human can do what I saw, not even a Shinigami can use a spirit sword in a physical body."

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm just weird then I guess. I suppose I owe you for last night. Thanks for the hand and all."

Uryuu scowled at him. "I didn't do it to help you. I was hunting the Hollow in that place. I just got caught up in that mess with the demon."

"Who cares?" Ichigo noticed the attitude he was getting. "What's your problem anyway?"

Ishida scowled at him. "Are you a Shinigami or not? I know that girl is, Kuchiki. I can see it in her reiraku. A shinigami's is red, yours is as well, but it's different than hers." What looked like ethereal strips of cloth appeared around him. "It seems you lack the ability to sense the presence of high spiritual power. You never noticed me before, that's evidence of that."

The blond boy frowned. "Huh? Maybe I just didn't care, did you consider that? How do you know about me and Rukia anyway?"

The boy gave him a cold looking smirk. "I just told you, fool. Your reiraku. A normal person's is white, but hers is red. Yours is different though, a red I've never seen before, dark...different. Your brother's is gray. A bit disturbing I must admit. I suspect yours is a mixture of the red of a Shinigami, and the black of a demon. I noticed the unusual color of your reiraku when I first entered the school, and your high spiritual power. Then halfway through the term this year, yours changed, becoming red as well."

Ichigo scowled at him. He considered what he said for a moment. "I'm an Akkijin. My mother is a demon."

Ishida nodded. "I suspected, that doesn't concern me. I'll ask you again, are you a Shinigami or not?"

Ichigo grunted and seemed to consider that. "I guess I am. I'm just a temporary stand in though. I'm paying off a debt I suppose. I don't care about your personal grudge. It's got nothing to do with me."

"I hate you anyway. I came here, to challenge you." The dark haired boy frowned at him.

The blond crossed his arms. "A fight?" He considered refusing, but something inside him caused a spark. Ishida was grating on his nerves a little. "What? You came here to get your ass kicked? You're no match for me, I'd flatten you. Tell me why I should think it's interesting and I'll consider it."

Uyuuu narrowed his eyes at that. "Don't be so crude. I wouldn't dirty my hands in a street fight." He pulled a small tablet out of his shirt pocket. "I mean to challenge you with this."

Ichigo's face fell a little. "Huh?"

"It's Hollow bait. Observe." He crushed it between his fingers and it seemed to vaporise. "Soon, it will attract them, and this town will become flooded with Hollows. The one who defeats the most within twenty four hours wins."

The blond boy looked shocked. "Are...are you out of your mind?! Are you trying to hurt someone? Take it back! Now!"

The Quincy looked cool and collected. "It's too late, the die has been cast so to speak. Do you not think yourself good enough to protect the people of this town then? You don't have the confidence in your own abilities to accept this challenge?"

Kurosaki snarled at him. "I would never risk the lives of others for a contest, no matter how minor the risk."

Ishida frowned at that. "Keep your morality to yourself. I will not allow a single Hollow to survive." His bow appeared in his hand and he fired at a crack that appeared in the sky. A hollow poked it's head through, and was impaled a moment later. "That's one."

Ichigo rushed him and hooked his fist across his jaw. Ishida looked surprised for a moment and rubbed on it with his palm. "What are you doing? Do you really think you have time for this?"

"You bastard," growled Ichigo as he glared down at him.

"If you want to protect as many people as possible, instead of attacking me, I suggest you get moving." He stood up and glared at his opponent.

Ichigo looked about ready to punch him again, but hesitated.

Uryuu looked out over the city. "You should know, that Hollows prefer humans with high spiritual power."

The blond glanced over his shoulder towards the clinic. "What? Damn it." He knew Ishida was right.

The Quincy took a step back at the glare he was getting. "I suggest you evaluate your priorities."

Ichigo took a step back. "If one single person dies because of what you've done, I will hunt you down and kill you. I suggest you make sure and back up your boasting." He turned and started running towards the clinic.

"As I suspected. He's an ignorant fool. Among those he cares about, his family are not the only ones with high spiritual power." He watched him disappear over a hilltop. "If he's not even realized that yet, he'll be defeated by me for certain. The disappointment in himself will kill me." He gave a snort. "Kill me indeed. That fool. If he can't even match me in this, he has no hope of taking my life."

OooOOooOO

Akuma paused. It was still early in the day, but he'd just felt something odd. Lunch was drawing near and he found his eyes drawn to the window. A strange sensation had washed over him. "Something is up. What is it I wonder?"

Miss Ochi glanced over at him. "Is something wrong, Kurosaki?"

He looked over at her. "Not really, thought I heard something strange. Must have been my imagination."

She smiled at that. "I see. Well, the lesson is up here. Do try to pay attention."

That wasn't very likely, there was strong spiritual power appearing all around. He didn't let on and pretended to look at the board. It seemed like it might turn out to be quite an interesting day. He doubted it wouldn't wait until the lunch break though. He was going to have to slip out and have himself a look though. It was too interesting to pass up. Someone had scattered Hollow bait, and hundreds of them were starting to converge on Karakura town. It would take time for all of them to break through, but still. They would make for the school, there were several people with high spiritual power there. It was too much for that many Hollows to miss.

OooOOooOO

At Karakura middle school, Karin and Yuzu felt...off somehow. They glanced at each other from their desks. Karin was clearly far more uncomfortable. Yuzu noticed something, but had no idea what it was. It didn't feel bad to her though.

The brunette leaned towards her sister. "What is it?"

"I dunno, I feel weird I guess. Not sick or anything, just strange." The black haired girl shifted a little in her seat. It was almost like a sound, a low humming in the air, but not quite the same sort of sensation.

Yuzu nodded. "Like a little buzzing in your head?"

Her sister nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of annoying. I'm having trouble concentrating."

"Me too, but it's kind of neat. I dunno, it's not making me feel bad or anything." Yuzu seemed pleased.

"I don't really like it much," grumbled Karin. It was making her nervous for reasons she couldn't explain. She noticed her sister's eyes had narrowed into slits. "What's with your eyes?"

"Huh?" asked her sister in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"They look like...cats eyes." It was the closest thing she could think of.

"Your eyes are like that too," was the simple reply.

Karin blinked. All her senses were in overdrive at the moment. She could hear the kid on to opposite side of the room picking his nose, and a few students muttering under their breath as they worked about the assignment. A couple of them were goofing off as well. She could even smell the coffee in the cup on the teacher's desk, but it was faint. She wasn't sure, but she thought there was something besides coffee in it as well. A sort of sweet odor, but not like sugar. "What's with me today?" she grumbled.

Yuzu smiled at her. "I dunno. I'm getting hungry though. I think I can smell every bento in the room."

Her sister nodded. "Yeah. Me too. We'll be having lunch soon. Try not to think about it."

Neither one of them noticed just how low they were talking. They were both whispering under their breath, and didn't need to lean towards each other at all. Not a single other person could hear their conversation despite the relative silence in the room.

Karin shifted in her seat. Something was definitely going on. She wasn't afraid, but felt very alert and jumpy, excited almost. It was difficult to sit still. Yuzu seemed to be the same way, but she was enjoying it a lot more. To her, it didn't feel like something fun though. Something was off, and it felt like there was trouble in the air.

There was nothing she could do though, so she did her best to focus back on the assignment. It was difficult, but lunch was coming up in about a half hour. Hopefully, she could calm herself down enough to get through the rest of the day.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The infestation.


	8. Chapter 8

The Devil's Bleached Tears

Part 8

The Infestation.

OooOOooOO

It was an unusually quiet day in Karakura town for most of the population. The insects and birds had gone quiet, and it left an unsettled feeling across the town that no one could quite pinpoint the cause of. Many people could feel an innate wrongness in the air, others never noticed. It was still, as if time had stood still, and left most people in a slightly more sour mood than normal. Barely noticeable to most of the population.

Ichigo dashed across the rooftops, he jumped into the air slashing an airborne creature with his spirit weapon. Sailing over the heads of unaware pedestrians across the rooftops. His spirit sword was gripped in his hand as he landed and continued his path, hacking and slashing at the white creatures of various sizes and shapes as he moved. They were weak hollows, but there were a lot of them. Stalling his progress as he dashed towards the Elementary School where his two sisters attended. "Damn it. This is taking forever." He wasn't even keeping count of the number of hollows he was destroying. "I'm gonna kick that bastard's face in when this is over."

OooOOooOO

"Fifty seven, fifty eight," muttered Uryuu as he kept count and continued to pull spiritual energy from the air and into his weapon. His finger was becoming sore from drawing, a little blood was dripping through the wrappings on his index as he pulled back. "A few more than expected, but no problems. I will not lose!"

OooOOooOO

"Tatsuki, what did you bring for lunch?" Orihime smiled as she sat down in the shade of a tree with her friend. It was a beautiful day, and despite the strange silence, they had opted to eat on the grounds outside the classroom.

The short haired girl frowned at her. "I told you twice all ready. Are you all right?"

The girl nodded. "Sorry, I guess I'm distracted. It's...so quiet today. Isn't it a little strange?"

Her friend cocked her head. "I guess. What do you mean?"

"I don't hear any birds, and the insects have all gone quiet. It's strange." The redhead shuddered. "Maybe...we should eat inside?"

Tatsuki frowned at that. "Huh. Now that you mention it, yeah. It is pretty quiet. What's the big deal though?" She did feel a little off, but didn't want to say anything and make Orihime any more nervous. "Relax would you? Just eat, and we'll head back inside. I'm starved." She looked up at her friend.

Orihime was looking up at the top of the school building.

"Huh?" her friend followed her gaze. "What the hell is that weirdo doing? He'll get in trouble if anyone sees him."

Akuma was standing on the railing on the corner of the roof. He was looking out at the sky with his odd grin. He wasn't wearing his uniform, and had a long black trench coat on.

Orihime gasped as she noticed something odd. The boy had a sword in his hand, a big one. The boy turned his gaze down towards her and his expression didn't change. He simply turned away and walked back onto the roof. "Something...is wrong."

Tatsuki scowled at her. "What is with you today? Everything is fine."

The redhead looked at her with a frightened expression. "Something just feels wrong. I'm not sure what it is."

Her friend pushed up. "All right, we'll eat inside. Come on then." She stood up and dusted off her skirt. "Come on then." She paused and looked around. "Huh? She's...where?" Orihime was gone, vanished from right next to her. "Orihime? Hey, Orihime!" She took a few steps and glanced around. "Where did she go? Oi! Orihime! Where are you?" She looked about, seeing nothing and started to jog. "She can't have just..."

A flash of orange red hair caught her attention at the edge of the building, rounding the corner. "Hey! How did she get way over there?" She started jogging towards it.

She never looked up. Orihime had terror in her eyes, dozens of hands were holding her body still, and covered her mouth. A monstrous looking woman's face moved up next to hers. "Heh. Poor girl, but...I could say the same of you."

The unfortunate girl was being held in the tree branches as the monster's body wrapped around it's branches. It was a centipede like creature with a woman's torso instead of a head. The legs were human arms for half of the body, and twisted legs and feet for the lower half. It was easily ten meters long, and had a hole in it's chest where it's heart would have been. Orihime struggled, trying to call out to her friend and warn her. The top half of it's face was covered by an inhuman looking skull, with the lower jaw exposed. The mouth had black lips, and sharp teeth.

Tatsuki vanished around the corner and her struggles grew stronger.

"Well, you're quite a girl. You can see me can't you, and hear me? How...wonderful." The thing tightened it's grip and four of the hands wrapped around the girl's throat. "Delicious!" It had a dark grin on it's face as it turned her around to face her, putting it's face up to hers. "You're quite fortunate you know, if you're good I'll be quick. A few moments of discomfort and it will all be over." The thing looked towards the corner and mocked pity. "Poor thing, Anakaris likes to play with his food. He was a serial murderer in life, and a rapist. He'll torment her, paralyze her, and sate his hungers before he consumes her. If I finish with you quickly enough, I may just watch. It's very entertaining."

Orihime's eyes shook with terror. "No! Tatsuki!" screamed her mind. The creature's hands began to grow tight around her throat.

"I'm not sure I'll have time, you'll be quite the meal I think!" The monster's eyes grew wide as she reveled in dark pleasure. "Heh. I suppose I can't complain. Her spiritual power is pathetic compared to yours. I'm very fortunate, too bad for you."

OooOOooOO

Tatsuki rounded the corner and slid to a stop. It was the shaded side of the building, a long shadow was cast across the grounds, with a small equipment shed ahead of her. "Ori...Orihime?" she muttered. The air felt chilled, cooler than it should. "Where did she go? I know I saw her."

In the doorway to the equipment shed ahead, she saw another flash of orange hair, vanishing into the door. She walked up to it and pulled the door open a bit. "Orihime? Are you in here? Say something." She took a few steps inside. It was about twenty feet square, filled with mats, posts, sports equipment, and bags filled with half inflated balls. She could feel her nerves starting to tingle, growing on edge as goose bumps crawled across her skin. Her eyes went wide as she stopped cold. Suspended on a string in front of her was a tuft of orange hair. It appeared to be floating, suspended from the ceiling. In front of her eyes it turned gray.

The girl took a staggering step back. "What the?"

"Heh. You...can't see me can you? A shame, you're spiritual power is stronger than most, but you've got no idea what's coming do you?" The thing was standing in front of her, no more than five feet in front of her face. It had the body of a spider, with long sharp legs that ended in barbed bladed edges. It's torso was that of a man, with a bone like mask over it's face, and sharp teeth. Instead of arms, it had two more spider like appendages, tipped with sharp finger like claws.

Tatsuki narrowed her eyes. She could see something, but it was fuzzy, ethereal, and had no definite form to it. "What is..." She was cut off as she flew onto her back, a strike across her face from nowhere laid her out. "What?" she muttered in horror. She screamed as a stabbing pain jabbed into her calf. An open wound appeared out of nothing and began to ooze blood. "Shit! What the hell!" she grabbed and felt something invisible that was stabbing her leg. It felt bony, and sharp in her grip, giving her a few gashes in her hands. It pulled out of her leg and she screamed in pain, scrambling to her feet as soon as she was free.

The girl put up her fists, her eyes wide with horror as she staggered back, favoring one leg.

"Yes, put up a fight, struggle!" hissed the thing. She couldn't hear it though and looked about. Her eyes focused on the mass of invisible something, like a distortion in the air. "What is that thing?"

"So, you can see where I'm at?" snarled the creature. "That's something, a better meal than most of the pathetic creatures in this place. Saanide and I will have fun picking them off one by one." It stalked towards her. "You can't run anymore, there's no way to escape." It lashed out with it's clawed fingers.

The girl ducked and rolled aside, getting to her feet in a shaky manner. She narrowed her eyes and noticed that some of the equipment was tossed aside. "I don't know what you are, but you're not getting me without a fight!" she charged forward punching at the monster.

The thing grunted, it had actually felt the blow to it's torso. It was weak though, and mildly irritating. "Well, aren't we something. Heh." It attacked again, but found it's strikes blocked. It wasn't trying very hard, poking and toying with her.

Tatsuke started hefting objects in the room at the thing. They were swatted aside, and she could keep a bead on where it was, but it was without form, and she couldn't see what was knocking them away. "Shit." The girl started edging towards the exit. She picked up a pole, a piece of a net used for volleyball.

"So sweet. I always liked strong women. They are the most fun to break!" The creature stalked towards her.

Tatsuke slid open the door behind her and backed out, poking at the thing stalking towards her with the pole. It was ripped from her hands and became impaled in the opposite wall. Not knowing what had hit her, she fell to the ground feeling her leg was grabbed. She fell on her back and screamed, kicking at what was grabbing her with her other injured leg. The strikes were weak, and each strike sent new waves of pain into her body. She didn't stop though and cried out in rage. "Let go you..." Again, her cries were stopped as another injury appeared in her other leg. She tried to roll over and gripped at the ground, creating drag marks in the dirt. "No!" It pulled her back into the shed, and the door closed, muffling her screams within.

OooOOooOO

Keigo looked over at where Akuma was standing on the corner of the roof. "Man, what's with that guy?"

Mizuiro shrugged and looked over at him. "I dunno. He's just staring off into space. I guess he's not scared of falling."

Sado was with them, and was sitting against the wall eating his lunch in silence. He looked over at the boy, he had his usual creepy grin. He didn't say anything out loud and turned his eyes away. "Does he feel this uneasiness as well?"

Without a word, Akuma turned away and walked towards the entrance to the building.

Sado's eyes went wide. The boy was holding a sword in his hand, a very large one. He wasn't dressed in his uniform either. "What?"

Mizuiro shrugged. "I dunno, that guy is just weird."

Keigo coughed after choking on a bit of rice for a moment. "Did you see that?" He looked at the other two.

The black haired boy smiled at him and shook his head. "See what?"

His friend gasped and looked panicked. "He had a sword! A big one!"

"Are you sure?" muttered Kojima in confusion. "Did you see anything Yasutora?"

The larger boy frowned. "I'm not sure."

Keigo pointed at him. "You did see it didn't you! I almost didn't notice because of that big coat he had! What's he doing with something like that at school? Oh, man. Maybe he's gone crazy, and is planning on chopping up the class! I hope he's not mad at me."

Mizuiro shook his head. "I doubt it. He'll get expelled for sure if he gets caught with something like that."

Chad frowned and looked thoughtful. "Something is going on." His eyes narrowed as something landed in the middle of the rooftop. He and his two classmates were the only students up there that day. "Huh?" He couldn't see what it was. He just, knew it was there somehow. He could see where it was, and about how large it was, but that was all his senses could show him.

The other two looked at him. "Hey. You all right, Sado? You look a bit pale." Mizuiro was confused by his sudden and rather surprised expression.

"See! He did see it! Maybe we should skip the rest of the day? That guy is weird and crazy. He'll kill us all!" cried Keigo.

Chad stood up and moved past them, putting himself between the thing and his friends. "Something...is there."

The creature focused on the trio. "Heh. Pathetic, but I suppose it will have to do." It had a mass of tentacles as it's lower body, like those of a squid. With two longer appendages with flattened tips. The upper half of it's body was insect like, with two Praying Mantis like claws instead of arms. It's chest had a large hole in it, and the mask that covered it's face had two long fang like mandibles poking out of the sides of it. "The big one seems the most interesting, but why waste the other two, even as pathetic as they are." Insect wings opened up behind it's back and it floated into the air.

Chad gasped as the thing hovered above the roof and moved towards them. "What?"

The monster sneered at them all. "They don't even see death coming, but the big one seems to have enough spiritual power to have noticed me. His tentacles lashed out, wrapping all three of them up.

Keigo gasped as he felt something around his neck. His arm became pulled tight as he was lifted off his feet and into the air. "Gah! What...what is this?"

"What's going on!?" cried Mizuiro as he found himself in the same position. He was tugging at invisible bonds at his neck and waist. "Something's got me!"

Chad slid forward, but wasn't lifted into the air. He pushed back with his legs, struggling against whatever had just wrapped around his arms, and felt another appendage about his waist. "This..." He could see that something was holding onto him, but it was just a fuzzy blur of air to him. "This...Kojima, Asano!"

The pair was struggling to breathe and kicked their legs about in the air as they hung there. "Let go!" gasped Keigo.

"Something's got me!" gasped Mizuiro through his chokes.

OooOOooOO

At Karakura Elementary School, Yuzu and Karin were walking back towards their class. Each holding a bento they had bought from the lunch room.

The brunette girl smiled at her sister. "We should eat outside."

Karin shrugged. "We're almost back to the classroom though. Maybe tomorrow?"

Her sister shrugged. "All right. I guess." She paused and looked around. "It's quiet."

The black haired girl nodded. "Yeah. I noticed it too. Where is everyone?" The hallway had a few students standing in it. A couple of boys were down the hall and pulling things from their lockers. A bit further down, a few boys were standing at a window looking outside. It was unusually vacant for the lunch period though.

Yuzu nodded. "Well, we were almost last in line." She pointed at her bento. It was cheap plastic, and the school sold them. "I'm making lunch for us tomorrow though. I just thought it would be nice to buy them today just for a change of pace."

Her sister seemed to accept that. "Yeah. I guess everyone else has already found a place to eat." She stopped and froze. "What the hell?"

Yuzu blinked and followed her gaze. "Hey. I see something..." It was fuzzy and white. Like looking at something through an out of focus lens. "What is that?"

It was a large cat like creature, about eight feet long and four feet high. It's face was covered in a bone like mask, and it stalked into the hall from one of the windows. Passing right through the glass as if the window was open.

"Shit," said Karin as she dropped her bento and grabbed her sister by the hand.

The thing's head snapped around and glared at them. It's eyes narrowed as it focused on the pair in front of it.

"What's going on? What is that?" muttered Yuzu in confusion.

"Run!" snapped Karin as she dragged her sister off, forcing the girl to drop her own lunch.

"Hey! My lunch!" cried the girl.

"It's not worth your life! Move!" snapped her sister urgently. The other students in the hall looked confused as the two girls raced by them.

"Hey, you'll get in trouble for running in the hall!" called one of the boys they moved by.

The girls ignored him and continued to run, turning down the stairs. The beast was lumbering after them, picking up speed as it went.

"It looks like a dog or something," said Yuzu as she looked over her shoulder as her sister pulled her around the corner and down the stairs.

"If it catches us it will kill us!" snapped her sister angrily. "It's a big cat! Now run!" She shoved the girl in front of her and pushed at her back.

The pair slid onto the next floor down. The exit was on the other end of the hall.

Karin pulled her sister aside and went for a nearby closet. She ducked inside and pushed her sister back. Both of them gasping for breath. She left the door open a crack and peered out into the hall.

The thing bounded down the stairs and looked around, panning it's head from left to right as it growled in frustration. It put it's nose to the ground and appeared to try to pick up the trail.

"Shit," gasped Karin. "We won't be able to hide here long. We've got to distract it so we can get away."

Yuzu frowned at that and nodded. "It's dangerous then?"

Karin looked at her in disbelief. "Yes! You remember that thing we saw Ichigo fighting when we went to visit Mom? I think it's one of those monsters!" She shook her by her shoulders. "It will eat us if it finds us!"

The brunette nodded and had a serious expression on her face. "Oh." She shrugged. "Well, we should get away then."

Karin hung her head. "That's what I've been trying to do." She walked over to the door and peered outside. The hallway appeared empty. "I think it's gone. Come on."

The pair walked out, Karin practically dragging her twin along behind her.

"I was wondering how long you were going to wait in there," said a cold voice.

Both girls froze and turned their heads back. The beast was sitting against the wall behind the door, looking at them. It cocked it's head. "I'll tell you what, I'm bored. I'll give you a head start." It crouched and waved it's rear in the air. "Start running."

"Crap," muttered Karin as she pulled her sister along behind her and ran as fast as her legs would go.

The pair dashed outside the doors to the school and slid to a stop outside. The monster bounded outside of one of the windows and landed beside them. They both backed away, Karin clearly more nervous than her sister. Her eyes were wide with terror.

"The chase is fun, but you can't outrun me on such puny legs. Don't give up though, you might make it," sneered the thing.

Yuzu was panting for breath and gasping. "Karin, I'm tired."

Her sister grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "Shut up and run! This isn't P.E. That thing will kill us!"

The brunette girl couldn't keep up with her sister. She tripped as she was pulled and brought Karin down to the ground with her. The dark haired girl slid a bit further away and looked over her shoulder.

The monster bounded forward, landing on top of the fallen Yuzu. The girl screeched and coughed as it's front paws landed on her chest.

"No!" cried Karin in horror as she staggered to her feet.

Yuzu had the wind knocked out of her and struggled on the ground under it's paws. She pushed against it's toes with her hands and didn't look like she could move.

The beast snarled. "Well, it was fun, but I should finish you off before the other gets away!" It opened it's mouth and bit into Yuzu's shoulder.

The younger girl's eyes went wide and she opened her mouth as she felt the teeth sink in. "I..."

"Yuzu! No!" Karin screamed as she ran forward, not thinking about what she was doing.

The beast released her sister and swiped a paw at her as she jumped into a kick at it's face in an attempt to pin her down as well. "You fool! You might have..." It blinked in surprise as the girl twisted in the air around it's paw. Her irises had become slits and a dark look had formed on her face as she wrapped her arms around the paw, kicked her foot under it's jaw and swung around it's forearm like a gymnast. At the apex of her flip she let go and landed in a crouch a few feet away. Her head snapped up and she snarled at the thing. "You...get the hell away from my sister!" She charged on the ground this time, rearing her arm back.

The Hollow was shaking it's head, clearly surprised by the force of the blow. "What the?" It still had the other girl pinned under it's paw though. Yuzu was gasping, and it didn't notice that her eyes had changed as well.

Karin dashed right up into it's face and slammed her fist into it's nose. The Hollow was thrown back, rolling over itself. It screeched as it slid to a stop, feeling stabbing pain along it's side. The thing grunted as it tried to move, looking at it's side. "What? What are you?" It's eyes turned towards the two girls.

Karin had her fist extended still, and a trail of ice shards were poking up from the ground that seemed to explode into a half buried spiked ball right in front of it. It's left front and rear paw were frozen inside, and it's side was impaled on several of them. A long slender tail whipped back and fourth behind her, and her skin had become a light violet in color. It seemed to flicker between the darker color and a more human tone as she stood there gasping. "What?" she looked at her fist in shock. "I..I did?"

Yuzu sat up, a dark smile on her own face. "Karin, I...I can see it!" she hissed at her sister with an excited and dangerous looking grin. "So, that's what it looks like then?"

Her sister looked at her twin and gasped. She had also sprouted a long slender tail and her skin had become reddish in color. Her eye teeth had elongated into small fangs, and her irises had become very clearly defined slits. Her eyes had gone from brown, to completely yellow. There were no more whites in her eyes. "What? Yuzu?" gasped her sister.

The other girl chuckled. "I was trying to tell you, we don't need to run away. Not from this thing. It's weak." She balled up her fist and it became engulfed in flames.

Karin staggered back. "What happened to you? Y-Yuzu?"

Her sister glanced over her shoulder. "If you weren't so afraid of our brother, he would have showed you too." She narrowed her eyes at the trapped monster.

"What are you?" It snarled at her, posing and trying to scare her. "Release me! I'll destroy you both."

Yuzu shook her head. "I don't think so." She stalked forward flexing her fingers as her hand burned with fire.

"B..brother?" muttered Karin. "Yuzu stop! You...you look different."

The other girl hissed a chuckle. "So do you. I've never done this before. It's kind of cool don't you think?"

Her sister gasped and looked at her hands. She fell to her knees. Her skin was now dark purple, and her fingers ended in little black claws that weren't quite fingernails. "What? What is this?"

Yuzu snarled as she jumped into the air and thrust her hand down. The Hollow howled as the strike burned right through it's body. It twitched and writhed, cut in half across it's torso.

"No! Let me go! I won't...I'll leave! I'll find another. I'll never return here again! I swear!"

Yuzu frowned at the thing. "I know you won't." She reared back her fist and punched it in the mask. There was an explosion as her fist connected.

Karin shielded herself with her arms as little pieces of the mask rained down around her. "What? What is this?"

Yuzu turned and smiled at her as the monster vanished. The ice was melting in her wake as she walked towards her with her hand still burning. "It's our blood." The flame faded as she approached her sister and gave her usual warm smile. It was unsettling on her new face. It looked wrong somehow. "Akuma has been showing me. It's called Demon Arts. We can do it naturally, it's instinct. It's easier for us, because we're female. Boys are tougher and like to fight. Girls are different though, we use power like this more easily."

The girl looked at her with wide eyes. "Akuma...showed you this?"

Yuzu's skin faded back to it's more human color. "He said how I look might change if I got too excited. It's never happened before though. That was so cool! I could see it and everything!"

Karin looked down at her hands and gasped. She'd returned to her normal color. "That was weird. Yuzu, you had a tail."

"Mom has a tail," she replied with a shrug.

The dark haired girl frowned a bit. "How do you know?"

"Akuma showed me what she looked like. He's pretty cool, really. I don't get why you don't like him." Yuzu cocked her head.

Karin hung her head. "Yeah. I feel strange though. Different somehow."

Yuzu nodded. "Yeah. Me too. It was awesome!"

Karin grabbed her sister's arm and looked at her shoulder. "That thing bit you, are you all right?"

She looked at where the wound was. "It got better. We're not as tough as Ichigo and Akuma, but we're not as weak as humans either. We're much faster and stronger, and if we work really hard, we'll be faster than Ichigo or Akuma." She seemed very cheerful, and there was now a patch of mud on the ground. "Come on. I'm still hungry, and we probably don't have much of our lunch break left."

The dark haired girl frowned at her and nodded. "So, he taught you this stuff?"

Yuzu nodded looking quite proud of herself. "Yeah. You never talk to him though. You avoid him all the time."

Her sister scowled. "I still don't trust him, I don't think you should either. There's something off about that guy." They walked back into the building side by side.

The brunette twin stuck her tongue out at her. "He's our brother. There's nothing wrong with him."

Karin crossed her arms and pouted. "Ichigo doesn't trust him either."

Yuzu giggled. "I guess we both have our favorite then."

That hit Karin as a surprise. "What? Favorite?"

Yuzu skipped off, bored with the conversation. Karin arched her eyebrows. Yuzu looked taller somehow. Not by a lot, but she did seem different in appearance. She couldn't quite put her finger on exactly how though. "What just happened to us? This is strange."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo looked down the road. He could see the clinic ahead, and the area around his home and his sisters' school was clear of Hollows. They were all coming from a single direction. "If I head back now, they should be safe." He turned and started running back in the other direction. "I'm gonna go deal with that jerk now and make his sorry butt cry for causing this mess."

The way was clear, but the Hollows were still coming. He had to find a way to stop it, but his short term goal was met. His family was safe as long as he kept them from getting by him.

OooOOooOO

Rukia gasped as she rolled aside. The Hollow before her was unaffected by her Kido. "Damn. What the hell? I've been in this Gigai for two months, and it's like I've actually gotten weaker!" She jumped aside as the thing slammed it's claw into the ground. "I can't keep this up. I'm in serious trouble."

The monster dove at her and she braced herself. It never reached her, and fell in half as it landed on the ground on either side of her. "Huh? Ichi..."

Urahara was standing behind her with a small frown on his face. His cane was resting on his shoulder. "Hello. Funny running into you here."

She stood up and looked at her knee. She'd gotten a scrape and it was bloodied. "Yeah. Funny that. What's going on? Where are all these Hollows coming from?"

He pulled out his fan and put it in front of his face as he narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure. Something is up though, there's a lot of activity. Far more than normal."

Rukia scowled at him. "I noticed, I suppose I should say thanks, but I'm not so sure you didn't have something to do with all this."

He faked an expression of shock. "Me? Surely you jest." He looked towards the direction the things were coming from. "At any rate, you should head back to the shop. It's safe there, and it doesn't appear that you're going to do much good."

She looked in the same direction. "What about Ichigo?"

The man had a serious expression on his face. "I've a feeling he'll be fine. I've got other business." He pointed with his fan. "That way. I'll see you later. Just, head to the shop and keep your head down. I don't think this will last the day."

Rukia looked frustrated. "All right. For now, I'm going to grill you about this later you know. I know you know more than you're saying."

He smiled at her. "I'll tell you if I find anything out. Like I said, I have suspicions, but I'm really not sure what's happening."

OooOOooOO

Chad struggled against the thing as it tried to pull him into the air with the others. "What...is happening?"

Keigo and Mizuiro were growing weak. Their struggles were slowing.

The Hollow sneered at them. "These two are almost finished, but you...heh. I may actually get a better meal than I anticipated."

Sado struggled, he could almost hear something. It sounded like it was taunting him. "I must do something." He tugged and pulled against it, unable to free himself from it's grip. "My friends, they are in danger!"

The other two boys went limp, their struggles stopped as they finally passed out.

The large boy was having trouble breathing, the thing had a firm grip on his neck and torso. It prevented him from taking any more than shallow breaths, and he had to struggle and pry the thing around his neck away just to do that much. His Abuelo's voice echoed in his mind. "These big fist that you have, for what purpose do they serve? You must find out."

"Yes, Abuelo. I understand now. My giant fists, are not for the sake of causing pain, but for the sake of protecting others. I understand, I understand it all, so even if just a little...please...lend me strength."

The monster narrowed it's eyes. "What?" It's grip was being pried free, and a strange power was pouring from the largest of its victims. "What is this?" The tentacles that surrounded the boy were ripped off leaving pieces of them hanging from Sado's body. "What? It can't be! You!"

The other two boys slumped down onto the rooftop as it focused it's rage on the giant boy. "You'll suffer! I'll destroy you!"

Sado could see it clearly. A strange red and black armor plating appeared over his right arm. He frowned and rushed forward, thrusting his fist at the base of the monster.

The creature howled as it was blown in half. The torso floated up higher into the air. All of it's tentacles were removed and it was enraged. "You! I'll kill you for that!" It dove at him and spread it's dangerous looking claws.

Sado stood his ground, flexing his newly armored arm. As it neared, he struck again. This time, the monster's head was vaporized as a blast of energy shot out of his fist as it connected with it's face. The thing slumped to the ground, and began to evaporate.

Chad gasped as he fell to one knee. "I...defeated it." He wasn't sure what to make of what had appeared on his arm. He felt weak and drained though. "Mizuiro, Keigo..." He glanced over and saw both boys were breating, but out cold on their backs. They appeared to be fine, and his head began to swim. "I..." The world spun out of control and went dark, and he fell to the rooftop beside them.

OooOOooOO

Orihime gasped for breath. She struggled and fought against the thing holding her. She wanted to get away, not to save her own life, but because she knew Tatsuki was in danger. The girl who had always protected her, one of the things like the one choking the life from her was after her as well.

"No! You...won't hurt Tatsuki!"

The creature chuckled. "I don't have too. She's suffering far more than you, just be grateful I am not so cruel!"

The girl got a firm look on her face as the expression of pain vanished. "I won't forgive you! I won't forgive those who would hurt Tatsuki!"

"Eh?" muttered the confused monster. Some of her arms moved up to shield her face as a bright light formed in the barrette on the side of her hair. "What! AAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" It backed away and dropped her, not by choice, but because the arms holding her became lopped off at various points. "What? What is this? You..."

Orihime landed on the ground. "I will save Tatsuki! I won't let you monster's have her!" A wind swirled around the girl, rustling the leaves. The monster landed on the ground, half her arms gone. It was angry with her and moved between her and where her friend had gone.

"I won't let you escape girl! You're my victim!"

Orihime frowned as something fluttered around her in the air. Each one had come from one of the six flower petals in her barrette. "What? What are these things?"

They spoke to her, their voices carried on the wind surrounding her.

"She must be aware of our existence."

"No, she is aware, after all. We are the ones, who stay nearest to her."

One of them landed on her shoulder, and the others floated around behind her. They looked like techno fairies. "Nice to meet you Orihime. We are the Shun Shun Rikka. Born to protect you. We are your power."

"Whoa! Flying midgets!" The girl looked shocked.

"We're not midgets," said one of the female ones. Half of them appeared to be girls, the other half were male. "We're your power, your own self!"

The girl swatted her between her hands. "Ouch! Don't try to catch me because you don't understand! You're the only one who can see us!"

"We don't have time for this!" snapped one of the male ones. He was smaller than the others, but spoke forcefully in a tone that Orihime found oddly comforting. He nailed the other in the face. "Your friend is in danger! All you need to know is that you can use us to defeat that thing!"

The redhead nodded and frowned at the thing. It was leering at her. "Well, what are you waiting for, brat! If you want to save your friend you've got to go through me first!" She spread her remaining arms and slid towards her on the ground. "I'll just kill you and be done with it!"

"Just use your mind, and say what I say!" said the female who appeared to be the leader. "That hurt by the way!" she snapped at the male who had kicked her.

"Good," he responded. "It's coming!"

The monster dove at her. Orihime said what the fairies told her to say. "Hinakigu, Baigon, Lily! Santen Kesshun! I repel thee!"

The monster hit a triangle shaped barrier face first and crumpled into itself. "Ugh! What? What is this? A shield?"

"It's my turn!" snapped the irritable male. "I repel both sides. I break through the enemy, put up a shield inside, and repel the combined space. In other words, I split the enemy in to! My name is Tsubaki! Say it now!"

The monster had recovered and noticed the shield had vanished. "Interesting, but not good enough!" She charged again.

"Koten Zanshun!"

The monster froze as an arc of power slammed into her face. She opened her mouth to scream, and fell in two along the middle of her face and body before the sound escaped.

Orihime gasped as she saw the monster fall. "Tatsuki!" she cried as she ran towards where her friend had gone.

OooOOooOO

Tatsuki screamed as her arms became pinned to the ground. The thing had stabbed her four times at once. Once in each shoulder, and again in her elbows. She struggled and writhed, unable to do anything but twist her torso as the creature removed it's claws. She was helpless, unable to move at all. "No."

Her eyes grew wide as the thing appeared before her. A monstrous spider thing, white and black, and with a cruel grin on it's partially human face. It reached for her with her claws and lifted her into the air. "Oh. I can taste your suffering! Ha ha ha ha!"

She gasped and twisted, unable to free herself, her arms and legs useless. "Stop! Let me go!"

"Let you go? Before the fun has even started! Ha ha ha haaa!"

Tatsuke looked down in horror. Off of the creature's back. several long slender tentacles began to move. They wrapped themselves around her arms and legs. Three of them floated free between herself and the monster.

"I bet you're wondering what these are for, aren't you?" it asked her with a cruel looking smile. The ends of the tentacles opened up.

Tatsuki went pale as she realized what they looked like. She struggled again, but it was futile. "No. No please."

The monster nodded. "Uh huh, but that's not the best part." The things began to ooze from the tips, and long slender looking needle like stingers slid out of the tip of each one. "It won't be so bad at first. You might even enjoy it a little...but...when I get started. You'll scream for death. They'll find your body and you'll just be another rape victim, sliced to ribbons by her attacker. That's how you'll be remembered, and they'll never find the one who did it."

The girl was as white as a ghost. She screamed in horror as they began to move towards her slowly. One of them pushing against her cheek, and the others rubbing on her legs.

"We'll take it slow. I like to enjoy myself, even though I can't feel it myself. I'll enjoy watching you feel every moment. Don't go thinking you can just pass out either. You see, the fluid that it excretes will keep you awake. It heightens the senses of the living and..." There was a loud crash, as if someone had just kicked in the door behind her.

Tatsuki screamed. Her ears were ringing from the loud sound that echoed through the room. She hit the ground and landed on her side. It was painful and jarred her badly. "What?"

The creature was clutching at it's face and growled in anger. "Who the hell?"

"Funny you should say that," said a familiar voice.

Tatsuki gasped as she managed to roll onto her back and look up.

Akuma was standing in the busted doorway with his cruel looking grin. "No one gets to torment Tatsuchan but me."

The girl's eyes went wide as she looked at what was in his hands. The boy was holding two firearms and leveled them at the monster. "Oh shit." She couldn't move her arms to cover her ears as he started firing.

The Hollow screamed and jerked about as the boy fired repeatedly. He kept shooting driving it back into the wall. Well past when he should have run out of bullets in fact.

Tatsuki continued to scream and squeezed her eyes shut as the boy stepped over her into the room. She gasped as he stopped shooting and pushed herself back with her shoulders towards the door. "What? What is this?"

Akuma didn't look back at her. Pieces of the monster's tentacles littered the ground, and it was bleeding at various points on it's body. "Normally I wouldn't care, but I'd miss teasing you if you died. Wouldn't get to do it when I went back home either. A pity. I'll just have to settle for what I can get while you're still alive I guess."

"You bastard! You think those toys will hurt me!?" snarled the beast as it's wounds began to close.

"Not really, I'm just playing with you," said the boy arrogantly. His creepy grin etched onto his face like stone. He opened his eyes and it widened ever so slightly. "I don't want to be too quick. Your suffering is only just beginning."

"Tatsuki!" cried Orihime as she dashed around the corner and rushed up to the scene. "Tatsuki! Are you all right?"

"She'll live," said Akuma in an amused tone. "Might have to take a few days off to recover though." He leveled his cold glare at the thing in front of him.

The spider monster had gone quiet and appeared cautious. "Wh...what are you? You're no human."

The boy chuckled. "Now, now. That's supposed to be a secret." He wagged his finger at it. In his other hand, he now had a broadsword hefted onto his shoulder.

Both girls looked at him with wide eyes and gasped. "Wh...what?" muttered Tatsuki.

Orihime scowled at the monster. "You. You did this to Tatsuki."

The thing snarled at her. "Once I finish with this scum, you're next girlie. My, such a pretty one too."

Akuma chuckled. "Mad at him are you? Well, you might like this, then again, it might just send you running off screaming!" His voice changed and a dark violet red aura started burning around him. "Pathetic creature, you still don't get it do you?"

The monster looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"I'm here, to drag you to hell. I can see your sins, see the darkness in your soul. You...belong to me now." He pointed his sword at the thing and his grin became malevolent. "For the rest of eternity, you are my bitch!" The demonic boy took two steps forward and slashed with his sword.

The hollow's mask was split in two, and it screamed. The body evaporated, but reformed again in front of him.

The two girls were clutching each other, looking on with wide eyes. Each one too horrified to speak.

In front of them was the spirit of a man. He was on his hands and knees with tears flowing down his face. "What? Where am I?"

Akuma stabbed his sword into the ground. "At the gateway."

The man cringed back. "No! Mercy! Please! I..."

The demonic figure glared down at him. It was possessive and almost lustful. "Thought you could escape eternity by becoming a Hollow did you? Thought you were free? I'm afraid not. You've only postponed the inevitable, and now it's time to pay the piper!" He picked up his sword again and jammed the hilt into the spirit's forehead.

The two girls were shaking in terror as a huge gate, much too large for the inside of the shed, appeared behind the thing.

"What...what is that?" muttered Orihime in shock.

"The doorway home," replied Akuma as he looked at it with a wide eyed evil glee. "The gateway to hell."

The spirit screamed as it stood up and tried to stagger away from it. It's feet were sluggish and it was pulled towards it by an invisible force. "No! Nooooo!" A gigantic hand holding a tanto knife reached out and impaled it through it's chest, dragging it inside the swirling vortex of fire and darkness beyond. The spirit screamed and struggled, reaching out and pleading. "Help me! Please! Help meeee!"

Both girls simply looked on in shock. Unable to pry their eyes away from the gateway.

Akuma spoke to it as it remained open after pulling the thing through. "Take good care of him, Mom."

A horrible voice echoed from inside the gate. "My son. Everything goes as it should?"

The boy nodded, his features more human again and returned to his usual emotionless smile. "Of course. Yuzu sends her regards, I'm annoying my brother, and Karin...well, she doesn't trust me. Dad misses you as well."

"Good, very good," said the voice in an almost soothing tone. "It pleases me that he suffers with my absence. Take good care of the others, I look forward to meeting them. Little Yuzu is doing so well, tell her she has pleased me."

Akuma nodded and looked as if he was having a phone conversation. "I will. Enjoy that scum, I might take a bit of time to torment him myself when I come back. If I care enough to remember."

"Very good, farewell, my son. Until next time." The great gate closed.

Akuma turned and smiled at the two girls cowering and shivering in the doorway to the shed. "Well. It's good to hear she's doing well."

"What...what the hell was that?" gasped Tatsuki.

"My mother," replied Akuma. He squatted down. "You know, Akuma isn't just a name. It's what I really am."

Both of them jolted in shock and looked at him in horror. Neither one spoke and pulled away from him.

The white haired boy looked at Orihime. "You know, Ichigo is my twin brother."

The girl swallowed. "He's, not like you."

Akuma smiled. "Don't delude yourself, that voice you just heard is his mother too. We're the same type you know. He and I are both, less than human. In fact, we're not even half human. He doesn't know that though. I'm sure he'll figure it out sooner or later."

Orihime felt her heart leap into her throat. "What?"

Akuma shrugged. "Come on. I'll help you out I guess. We shouldn't just leave her here. She's going to need some time to recover from her injuries." His face fell a little. "It looks serious too. I'm not sure she'll ever completely recover. He cut her tendons. I doubt you'll be able to compete anymore, Tatsuchan." He actually looked a little sorry to say it.

The girl squeezed her eyes shut. "Don't touch me!" She shied away.

Orihime hefted her arm over her shoulder. "He...saved your life."

"He's not human!" cried the girl as she looked at her in shock.

The boy didn't seem bothered and took her other arm. "Well, neither is Ichikun. You get along with him all right. Besides, I only saved you so I could keep teasing you. You take it so well, always over reacting. It'd be a shame if I let you die. Then I'd only have my brother to torment that way."

"Asshole," growled the girl as she glared at him. "I bet you knew all along, and just waited until the last minute to help me out.

Akuma set her down on the grass with Orihime. He paused and looked at the redhead. "Huh. Well, you're right. I was expecting you to be dead. Figured it'd drive my brother nuts."

The redhead gasped and looked up at him. "What?"

He blinked and cocked his head. "What the hell are those things?"

There were six fairy like creatures fluttering around Orihime. The girl frowned at him and blushed. "My...power."

"Weird," he muttered as he backed off. He had no idea what to make of them.

"What? You just left her to die then?" snapped one of the little male ones. He had a mask over his face. "You bastard. Orihime! Let me..."

She pinched at his wings and pulled him back. "He did...save Tatsuki."

Two of them fluttered up to her face. "We can help her now!" It was the two females who hadn't done anything yet. The leader and the small quiet one. "Both of our abilities is to repel the inner shield. We can repel the damage within a limited area."

"Repel?" muttered Akuma as he looked on. He had been planning on walking off to leave them stewing on what he'd said. Sowing seeds of doubt about his brother within the minds of both of them. This was far too interesting to ignore.

The head fairy continued to talk. "We care return the state of the one inside the shield to their state before taking damage."

Tatsuki was having the weirdest day of her life. "When am I going to wake up from this crazy dream anyway?" It was giving her a headache.

"Call our names, I am Shounou, she is Ayame."

"Shounou, Ayame! Shouten Kishun. I repel thee!"

A field formed around Tatsuki. The girl relaxed and closed her eyes.

Akuma looked on and frowned at the scene over her shoulder. "What? That...that's not healing. It's...time reversal...no...it's different. What the?"

Tatsuki was healing quickly, her injuries vanishing as if they were never there.

The demon half smirked. "I see. Very interesting. Banishment, repel indeed. Orihime, you've just become very interesting."

The girl gasped and looked over her shoulder. "Wha?"

Akuma had his normal smirk and his arms were crossed. "Heh. I suggest you watch your back. That power of yours is more valuable than you think. Still, it's got nothing to do with my purpose here."

"Purpose?" She clenched her fist and bit her lip. "Wait. Why...why are you here?"

The boy looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm looking for something. Humans don't need to concern themselves with it."

The girl stood up and faced him. "What does Kurosaki have to do with this?"

"Ichikun? Well, nothing really." He turned away. "You still care for him, even knowing? Huh. Interesting girl, very interesting. I suspect he'll have his hands full with you."

The girl blushed. "What do you mean?"

"You'll figure it out. It was unwise to flaunt such a power so openly. It might just cost you one day. I've no interest in it now, but regardless. You should take care kid."

She staggered back at his cold expression. He wasn't grinning at her, and leveled his eyes over his shoulder. "I won't let you hurt, Kurosaki."

Akuma started walking away. "You don't need to concern yourself with him. Still, I think, you'd better hope he feels the same way about you. See you around, princess."

Tatsuki sat up and looked at her arms and legs. They were as good as new. She was in shock and looked at her friend. "What...was that?"

The redhead shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just found out I could do that. I'm glad you're all right though."

The short haired girl nodded. "Yeah. What was that about? I could see you talking, but I couldn't hear."

Orihime frowned and glanced over her shoulder. "I'm not sure. He helped you, I don't think he's all bad. I don't know though. He said my power was interesting. It made me a little nervous."

"I'll say. I guess I owe him, but he's a jerk," her friend was clearly unsettled by the prospect of owing him. "I still don't trust him." She knew what he said about waiting, but she wasn't entirely sure he was being honest about it. She had a feeling he wasn't, but couldn't be sure.

The big busted girl helped her too her feet, and she ended up bumping into her chest and bouncing off. The short haired girl didn't think anything of it and steadied herself on her shoulders. "I'm...I'm all right."

Orihime looked at her friend. After a moment of standing there in each other's arms, they both slumped down out cold. Exhausted from their ordeal and drained completely.

A figure holding a very large boy in a fireman's carry walked up to the scene and frowned. Urahara gave a small sigh and looked at the pair. He glanced over his shoulder and looked in the direction Akuma had gone. "Huh. I wonder what that guy is up too? Never expected to see him perform a soul burial. Didn't know his kind even could." He looked at the pair and sighed. He could only take one more. He ended up hefting Orihime over his shoulder. The other girl would be fine, all the nearby Hollows were destroyed, and her spiritual energy had been drained. It would take a little while for it to recover. "I'll have to send someone to take care of her before she wakes up."

"I'll take care of it."

The fallen Shinigami froze and went rigid with the two teens on his shoulders. "Oh. Still here are you?" He relaxed and didn't look back.

"Yeah. The redhead is interesting. Strange powers and all. I suspect you saw enough to realize that." Akuma was leaning against the wall.

"You'll be late for class."

"Not going back today, it's too interesting out here today. I'll take her friend home, she'll be safe enough."

Urahara nodded. "I'm still not sure what you're up too. Still, I suppose it's none of my business."

Akuma nodded. "You'd be right. It doesn't involve these kids. Just a word of advice."

The former Shinigami turned his head. "Yes?"

"Stay away from my brother. They'll be coming for her soon, and I know he's tempting. I'll take care of that, you can busy yourself with his friends while I handle the rest."

Urahara turned back. "That's up to him. You know, he has two natures to choose from. Neither one is human, but he could become a powerful Shinigami. Might even give the old man a run for his money in a hundred years or so."

The man froze, there was a blade at his throat and Akuma was glaring down the length of him at it. "That isn't a request. He's mine, and you know damn well I can make him stronger than any Shinigami."

The man sidestepped and appeared behind him. "I know. Still, you know you can't change his nature. I know a bit about your kind. His nature, will always be in opposition to yours."

Akuma chuckled. "I know. That's what makes it interesting. Get in the way, and I'll stop you. We each have our own darkness. Yuzu and Karin are just beginning to discover this as well."

Urahara looked up at the sky. "I've always wondered, do you care? I mean, about family? Demons behavior can be a little strange to those on the outside."

The boy started walking down the path behind the school. "In our own way. He's my brother, and I will make him strong, whether he wants it or not. You can make yourself useful if you want, but he's mine. I will show him a path to a power even one as strong as you cannot imagine." He rounded the corner on the opposite side of the building.

Urahara smirked and started walking with the teens on his shoulders. "Huh. Learn something new...every...day..."

Akuma was ahead of him, walking out the school gates. The boy paused long enough to smirk and continue on his way with his blade resting on his shoulder.

The former Shinigami knew that he was letting him know that he was not impressed by his Shunpo. He scowled a little and continued on his way. "Interesting guy. Wonder what his story is?" He smirked to himself as he walked unhindered by the weight of the pair. "Maybe I'll find out by the time this is all over?"

OooOOooOO

Karin was sitting in her class. The teacher had given an assignment, and she was finished. Most of the class was done, with a few others still working on it. It was growing near to the end of the day, and she doubted anything more would be assigned. As it was, she had her homework assignment open in front of her, and was working in getting it done to have more free time later.

She was feeling a bit uncomfortable though. She sulked a little and glanced at Yuzu. The girl appeared to be oblivious, but they were both getting stared at.

She looked over her shoulder and scowled at Ino and Kaneda. Two boys she didn't get along all that well with. "What are you staring at?" she growled under her breath.

The boys both blushed and forced themselves to look away, along with Hashigami, another of their group that didn't get on well with her.

She turned her nose back to the book and sank into her seat a little more. She was the subject of rapt attention, and Yuzu was getting stared at as well. She noticed her friend Ryohei moving his eyes back and fourth between them. Heite, Kazuya, and Kei, three of her other friend were doing the same thing. In fact, every boy in the room was doing it.

Yuzu leaned in. "You noticed too did you?"

"What are they staring at? My tail is gone and everything right?" she grumbled.

"I dunno, I kind of like it though," said Yuzu.

Karin flushed a little more. It was irritating, but there was a sort of appeal to it that she couldn't explain. "It's weird. Why are they staring at us?"

Ryohei leaned over to Heite and put his hand up. "Hey, Toujoin."

"Huh?" The boy was drooling a little and spaced out. "Yeah?"

"I never really noticed before, but isn't Karin...kind of a babe?"

Heite blinked. "What do you mean 'kind of'? She's hot, so is her sister."

Kazuya leaned in. "Yeah. I'm glad we're friends. I never really noticed before, but you're right. She's a total babe."

Karin twitched and looked over her shoulder at them. They were whispering, but she'd heard every word. "Gak."

Yuzu giggled a little. "Hey. I guess we're cute?"

"Wish I'd been nicer to her. I never really noticed before," commented Kaneda.

"Shut up. Yuzu is hotter," growled Ino.

"I dunno, she's got that 'bad girl' thing going on," whispered Hashigami. "Yuzu is a babe too. I never really noticed before though."

"All the boys are talking about us," whispered Yuzu.

"Yeah, I noticed," growled Karin. It wasn't just her friends and the jerks she didn't like. It was the whole room. "This is weird. I wonder if it has anything to do with..."

Her twin shrugged. "Does it matter? We're the cutest girls in class." She seemed pleased about it.

Karin wasn't sure what to make of it. She noticed a couple of girls giving her annoyed glances. "Oh man." Maybe it would wear off? Though, deep down, she wasn't so sure she wanted it to. She raised her hand.

The teacher noticed and smiled at her. "Yes?"

"May I use the toilet?"

"Me as well," chimed in Yuzu.

"All right," said the instructor.

They stood up and walked out of the room. Karin shuddered as she heard one of the boys say "I'd pay to see that." There was muttered agreement. She dashed out into the hall and clutched at her chest while gasping. "Perverts! That's disgusting!"

Yuzu was smiling at her. "Come on."

A moment later they walked into the restroom. The pair ignored the stalls and walked up to the mirror.

Karin looked at herself. "I...look the same don't I? What is this?"

Yuzu pushed her chest up. "Hey. They've gotten bigger."

"What?" said Karin in a sort of fascinated horror. Yuzu was right, it wasn't by much, barely noticeable, but her chest was bigger. She turned sideways, and found her rear had rounded a bit. "No way." She rubbed at her face and found her skin had smoothed out, and her lips had a bit more color to them. Not to the point it looked like she was wearing lipstick, but she could see a difference. "This is weird. Do...I look taller?"

Yuzu nodded. "A little. It's like we're a bit older."

Karin scowled at that. "Not really. Just, hotter." She furrowed her eyebrows. While she looked annoyed, she found it 'cute' somehow. Her legs were more filled out and seemed longer, and her hair was shinier and had more bounce to it.

Yuzu smiled and her perfect teeth sparkled. "Neat! We're babes!"

Her twin looked over at her. "We weren't ugly before. I dunno though, do you think this is because we changed?"

The brunette girl seemed to think on it. "I guess, we didn't go completely back to normal."

The dark haired girl nodded. "Do...you think we will?"

Yuzu shrugged. "We would have by now I think. It's been a couple of hours."

Karin growled. "This...I dunno. I guess it's kind of annoying."

Her twin smiled. "It might be kind of fun!"

The dark haired girl seemed to consider it. "I guess. That pervert Ryohei is bad enough as it is."

Yuzu cocked her head. "Well, there's not really anything we can do. We should go back."

"I guess so. I don't know how long I can take every guy in class looking at my ass when I walk by." She already felt like clobbering a couple of them.

The bell rang a short time after they returned to the room. They walked out into the hall together and Karin flushed as she moved. It wasn't just the boys in her class. A lot of boys were watching her go by, from other classes and quite a few from a grade or two below her.

The pair walked out of the building and started heading home. Karin noticed that a few older boys they passed by turned their heads towards them as well. She got wide eyed and pulled her sister along a little faster as she noticed this.

"What? It's not big deal," said Yuzu with a small sigh.

"It's embarrassing. They're staring at us," growled the dark haired girl.

"Why? We're cute," replied her sister. "It's not like we've got to talk with them. Just go with it. No big deal."

Karin frowned at that but slowed down. "I don't like some of the looks we've been getting. It's creepy."

Yuzu gave a small sigh. "You'll get used to it. Come on. I want ice cream, and I've still got a bit left."

Within two minutes, the twins were both licking on an ice cream cone they had both gotten free of charge.

Karin gave a small sigh. "Maybe you're right. This isn't so bad." She had a few sticks of Yakitori in her other hand and munched on it. It didn't clash with the ice cream, and she ate both.

Yuzu giggled. "Well, don't spoil your dinner."

"I won't," muttered her sister as she rolled her eyes. A group of teenage boys all craned their necks as they moved by. She scowled a little, but didn't look at them. "Perverts." She had a feeling it was more than just their looks. There were lots of more developed girls who she thought looked prettier than she was who weren't catching as much attention.

Her twin smiled. "We'll be fine."

Karin frowned. "I dunno about this though. We're...catching a lot of attention. Not that it's not flattering, but someone might try something if we don't figure out how to turn it off."

"So?" said Yuzu with a small shrug.

Her dark haired sister scowled. "I don't want to get carried off and raped. I don't think this is just our looks."

"Well, well just kill them," replied Yuzu in a matter of fact tone.

"Huh?" Karin almost dropped her food. "Wait. Hold on there."

Her twin rolled her eyes. "All right. Still, who do you think could anyway? We've got powers, and we can stop it if someone tried remember? We'll just transform and kick their butts."

Karin scratched at her head. "I guess. Still, doesn't seem fair to me. We should figure out how to control it."

"You'll always be that way," replied a familiar voice.

Karin screamed and lost her ice cream. A hand reached down and caught it, handing it back to her. "D...don't do that!"

Yuzu was having a fit of giggles. "Hey. Big brother. What are you doing here?"

Akuma looked down at them both. "Oh nothing. I just noticed you two got out of a bit of a pinch today."

"It was no trouble," said Yuzu as she ate.

"What do you mean?" said Karin.

"You're both half succubus you know. Female demons. Your little transformation brought it out, and I'm afraid there's no putting it away." The older demon half walked along behind them. Looking off a few who stared a little too hard. "Karin is right though, you should be careful. You emit powerful pheromones. Humans with already low inhibitions might have trouble resisting their more undesirable urges."

Yuzu nodded. "All right. Shouldn't be a problem."

Akuma narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't kill anyone if it's not serious. You can expect to get used to being targeted by perverts. You're half demons, and the darkness in your nature will attract those types."

Karin gasped. "What?"

Her brother smiled. "You'll know what to do when the time comes. Don't worry. If you ever want to have a boyfriend...well...lets just say you're going to have to feed certain urges."

"What do you mean?" growled the dark haired girl. "I'm not some tramp. I won't..."

"That's not what I mean. Relax. Still, you might prefer that to what I mean. I'm not sure. Yuzu won't have much trouble with it, but you'll likely have to get used to it." The white haired boy put his hands behind his head.

Karin slugged him in the gut. "Explain it to me clearly. I'm not Ichigo, and I won't put up with this cryptic crap."

He narrowed his eyes at her and growled. She didn't back off, grabbed him by his collar, and reared her hand back. He caught it as she tried to punch him. "Fine. You need to feed. You'll be fine for a while, but if you want to have a normal sexual relationship with a nice human boy when you're ready for it, you're gonna have to make sure your darker half is satisfied. Otherwise you'll ruin your first time by killing him, and any other time after that."

Karin released him with wide eyes. She released his collar and staggered back. "Wh-what?"

He shrugged at her and put on his shades. "Relax. You don't have to have sex. There will be plenty of opportunities to take care of it. Like I said, you'll attract the unsavory naturally. Just lure one off, take care of what you need, and leave him."

"I'm, some kind of vampire?" said the dark haired girl in horror.

Akuma pulled her over to a low wall that overlooked an underpass and leaned against the railing. "Sort of, you drink blood, but you won't turn anyone else into one biting them. You don't need it to survive, you don't have to worry about sunlight, and silver and wooden steaks and all won't hurt you. Well, they will, but there's nothing special about them. So, no. Not a vampire, a succubus."

Even Yuzu looked a little disturbed by that. "So, we have to kill people?"

Akuma shook his head. "Well no. Not normally. You don't 'have' too. If you try to get to intimate with a boy, or a girl if that's your fancy, you'll end up killing them when your urges take over if you don't. You could remain celibate, or just kill any boy you happen to think is cute and move on to the next one." He slapped them both on the shoulder and looked Karin and Yuzu in the eye. He pulled his shades down. "I know you don't trust me, but believe me here. I'm telling you as your brother. You need to take care of it, or getting too close to a boy will be dangerous for him." He pushed his shades back on and smiled. "You're both still young, and it won't hit you unless you start kissing or making out or something. So, there's no need to worry yet. Just standing near to a boy won't be enough."

Karin scowled. For some reason, she believed him.

He started walking again. "Come on. Normally, I'd just wait and watch. It'd be kind of entertaining. Mom made me promise to help you out though." He put his hands on their shoulders and led them towards the clinic. "Now, the best time to hunt is at night. If a target of opportunity comes along, go ahead and take it."

Yuzu scrunched her face up. "That sounds kind of gross. Should we bite them on the neck?"

"Any major artery will do. That ones just usually the most exposed and easiest to get too." He shrugged at that. "Dad's got a chart if you're interested in finding out where they are. It's on the wall in the clinic."

Karin nodded. "I've seen it."

The older demon nodded. "Good. It's best to not tell Dad or Ichikun. Dad might understand, Ichikun will probably blame me, but you need to know these things."

"I have to drink blood?" muttered Karin in horror.

"Well, you could just spend the rest of your life chaste and celibate. If you wanted that is. No big deal. It won't taste bad though. Probably be the best thing you've ever had. That's what I've heard about it anyway." He seemed to consider that.

"Who did you ask?" grumbled the dark haired girl.

"I lived in hell. You're not the first succubus I've had words with you know." They were drawing near to the home. "Just relax and don't worry about it for now. Like I said, I promised Mom I'd help you out with this. It's the demonic equivalent of puberty. It's not going to just go away, and you need to learn to deal with it. You can even let them live if you want. Though, you'll need to avoid major arteries to do that." He smirked at her. "You've got venom. It will paralyze your victims once you get a good bite."

Yuzu's eyes went wide. "Venom? Cooooollll!"

Karin was disturbed by her sister's enthusiasm. Akuma shook her shoulder. "You'll be fine. Your instincts will take care of you, but if you want to keep them under control, you need to keep them satisfied. It won't be a problem if you just keep up with it. There's no reason you can't live normally if you're careful. You're both really young, if you're careful enough, you won't have to worry about it at all for a few years. Just remember to go with it, if you fight it, it might be troublesome for you. You'll get frustrated, and might attack someone you like or care about. Ichikun and I are immune. Beardo won't be any trouble either, he's your Dad. Watch out for anyone else though, you're both pretty irresistible to most humans. Even a lot of girls. Most people won't try to force you, but you can expect a lot of 'attention' in the future. Just get used to it, there's not really anything anyone can do about it."

Karin hung her head. "Great. Just what I needed to hear." She didn't like it one bit, but for some reason, she trusted him on this. "Thanks I guess."

Yuzu nodded and seemed a bit somber. "Yeah. I'm glad you said something."

Akuma frowned a little. "Wish I didn't have too. Forgive me, but you know about me. My darker side would have enjoyed watching. Still, a promise is a promise. I'll help you out as much as I can."

Karin just shrugged. She was coming to understand Akuma. She didn't really like him, and still didn't trust him, but she was getting used to having him around. She had a handle on what to expect of him.

He slapped them on the shoulder and started walking in the other direction. "Finish your iced cream. It'll make you feel better. I'll see you later."

"Where are you going?" asked Yuzu.

"Yeah. It's getting late," agreed Karin.

He waved at them over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go bug Ichikun for a bit. He's gotten himself into some trouble, and I wanna go watch."

"Yeah," grumbled Karin. She continued to munch on her ice cream. It did make her feel a little better, but she was far from having her nerves settled.

"Well, I guess we should go home. What do you think blood will taste like?" asked Yuzu.

"I don't want to talk about it," growled her sister as she shifted away a little and kept working on her ice cream.

"Well, maybe later," said Yuzu with a small sigh.

OooOOooOO

Orihime had just woken up from a strange dream and bopped Sado on the nose with her head. It involved the Sony mascot, Kurosaki, and the Soccer World Finals. She looked around in confusion.

"You were having quite a nightmare, what was it about?" asked Chad as he nursed his nose. "Your head is surprisingly hard."

"I can't say, it's a secret! A secret," she replied with a blush.

"Is a dream really that embarrassing?" muttered the large boy.

The girl looked around. "Where are we? This isn't school."

Sado shook his head. He was surprised she just noticed. "I'm not sure..." They were in a large room with traditional windows and a wooden floor. A strange man walked up wearing a sandal hat with is arms crossed. He smiled at them both. "It seems he brought us here and helped us." He looked at the man. "It seems Inoue has awakened, please tell us more of this strange power within us, and the connection it has with Ichigo."

Orihime gasped. "Kuro...Kurosaki? What about him?"

"What are you doing?" said a familiar and irate voice. Rukia walked into the room with her arms crossed. "Urahara, what's the meaning of this?"

"Ku-Kuchiki?" muttered Orihime in confusion.

The girl glared at them. "They've got no part in this."

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "Perhaps not before, but I'm afraid it's too late now. Their powers have become too strong, and the Hollows will notice. Regardless of what you may think, they cannot ignore this path."

"What do you mean?" cried Orihime. "What are you talking about?"

The sandal hat man gave a small sigh. "Kurosaki Ichigo is a half demon with Shinigami powers. His spiritual reserves are so great, that they are overflowing. You have been close to him for a long time, and this has drown out your spiritual powers. Your natural talents."

"Natural, talents?" said Chad as he looked at his fist.

The man nodded. "That's right. You have been given the key to a door. What you do with it is your own choice. This is not some disease you have picked up, but the power you were born with drawn forward by your proximity to Ichigo for such a long time. It has manifested itself within you now, and it is time for you to choose your path."

Rukia growled at that. "They aren't Shinigami. You shouldn't be dragging them into this."

Chad narrowed his eyes at her. "Shinigami?"

Urahara frowned at her. "I was not the one who did it. Ichigo is the cause of this, and it can't be ignored. He did not intend this I'm sure, but it has happened."

The black haired girl balled up her fist and glared at him. "It's on your head."

The door opened and a large man with glasses bowed in the doorway. "Manager, the Kuumon, it has begun it's convergence."

Urahara looked over at him. "The preparations?"

"Complete."

The sandal hat man turned to the door. "Whether or not you continue forward is up to you both. Whether or not you choose to open the door and step through is up to you."

The two teens stood up and watched him as he moved to the door.

He stopped and looked at them. "Are you coming along? I shall allow you to watch. I want you to see for yourselves the world you are about to step into, and the enemies you must fight."

"I don't like this," grumbled Rukia as she glared at the pair.

"Noted," replied the man as he continued to move.

She looked at the rather dumbstruck pair. "Are you coming or not?" She continued after them.

Chad and Orihime looked at each other for a moment, and moved off after them.

OooOOooOO

Uryuu frowned as he began to feel doubt. "It's getting harder to kill them with one strike. There's more than expected, this is strange. At this rate...I..." He scowled at his own thoughts. "No. I shall not fail. Not a single person will die because of this. I will defeat the Shinigami."

He continued to fire his weapon. Striking down yet another Hollow.

"Hey. You look like you're starting to feel the heat," said a familiar voice.

Ishida gasped and looked over his shoulder. "Kurosaki!"

The boy had a cocky grin on his face and held his weapon on his shoulder. "This the best you can do? I've already cleared out half the town. Looks like you're losing to me."

"What? You...I've killed twice as many Hollows as you!" He pointed his bloody finger at him and scowled.

"Whatever," muttered Ichigo. "I'm gonna make you cry by beating your ass."

"Cry? Don't be absurd! I'll not lose to the likes of you." He notched another arrow.

Ichigo just stood there and looked on as he killed another Hollow. "You just don't get it do you? This is a battle between you and me, so don't bother giving me a number. I don't care. We're going to settle this man to man, but first I'm gonna clean up the mess you made." He looked up at the sky, Hollows were still pouring into the area. The sky was full of cracks where they were coming in from. "How do we stop this?"

Uryuu frowned. "You can't. It will wear off with time." He notched another arrow and pulled it taught. Ichigo was in front of him with his back turned. He did not intend too, but the blood on his fingers made it slip. "Oh no!"

Ichigo simply raised his arm. A round shiny surface appeared on his forearm and glowed with energy for a moment as the arrow struck it. The blond boy looked confused and peered at it. "Huh. Wonder what that's about?"

Ishida gasped. "He's fast." It was almost point blank range, and he'd still somehow blocked it.

Ichigo felt something weird and looked up again. "Hey...those cracks are moving together."

Uryuu nodded and frowned at it. "That's not all. Look. The Hollows are all converging on that spot." He notched another arrow and fired at the Hollows.

Ichigo snorted. "If you weren't such a jerk, I might actually like you. Rushing in without thinking?"

"Are you afraid?" snapped the Quincy.

The demon half grinned. "Do I look nervous to you? You're the one sweating bullets here."

Uryuu narrowed his eyes and ran towards the disturbance. "I will win this battle. If you're afraid, you can wait here! Ishida Uryuu is your opponent! Over here you Hollows! The last Quincy will face you!"

Ichigo blinked. "Huh? The...last Quincy?" He charged off after him. A moment later he saw him shooting down Hollows one after another. The things were closing in and trying to flank him. "That idiot. What is he doing charging in like that?" He rushed down and dove into the fray, slashing and taking several out.

"I don't need your help!" snapped Uryuu.

"I'm not doing this to help you idiot. These things are dangerous!" snapped Ichigo. "Last of your kind huh?"

"I have no desire to share anything with the likes of you."

Ichigo swatted aside another as Ishida impaled one in the center of it's mask. "What the hell is this about anyway?"

"I will prove the strength of the Quincy to the Shinigami. I will not let my sensei's dream die!"

The blond boy grunted as he hacked again. "You idiot! You're showing off to the wrong person!"

"What do you mean?" growled the other boy as he fired again.

"Look, I'm not a real Shinigami. I'm just hired help, it's a temporary job. Like working for a summer break or something!"

"What did you say?" snapped Ishida angrily.

"You dope. I can't believe you'd be this stupid." Ichigo hacked again. "I owe a Shinigami a favor, and I'm paying it back. I don't plan on spending the rest of my life doing this you know!"

"You represent the Shinigami, that's good enough."

The blond seemed to think on that as he hacked at another. "I'm...not actually sure about that. I only know one really. Come to think of it, I'm not even getting paid."

"Like that makes a difference!" snapped Uryuu as he took two more out.

"Why wouldn't it? What the hell is your problem anyway?"

The Quincy scowled at him. "My grandfather was my sensei, he was a kind man. When the Quincy were destroyed by the Shinigami, he said they were right. He believed we should exist to deal with Hollows quickly, and work with them. An immediate response to emergencies. They ignored him, told him that dealing with Hollows was their business, and that we should stay out of it."

"The...Shinigami destroyed the Quincy?" said Ichigo as he staggered. He put up his blade to hold back a strike from a claw. "What do you mean?"

Uryuu scowled at him. "Your ignorance annoys me."

"You jerk. I already told you. I'm just a temporary stand in, this isn't my job! I've only been doing it for a few months, and as soon as my friend can take it over again, I'm finished." He hacked again destroying another of the creatures.

Ishida scowled. "Two hundred years ago, the Quincy were destroyed by Shinigami hands. They said it was to protect the balance. Quincy destroy Hollows completely. Our power erases them from existence. Our numbers were too great, and it threatened to overtake the balance. The Shinigami destroyed us because of it, and my grandfather said they were right. I don't care about that, it's just an old story to me. I'm not sympathetic to them, and I don't care about their cause or reviving them."

"Great, so what happened! This story is taking too long!" snapped Ichigo as he hacked again.

"My grandfather was murdered by Hollows. The Shinigami were late in responding. He died because they were too slow to perform their duty. They left him unguarded, and allowed him to die. It took hours for them to show up! I hate them."

The blond growled. "Great. What the hell does that have to do with me you idiot? I'm not the one you need to impress."

"They'll notice. I'll defeat you, and prove the strength of the Quincy," Uryuu snapped back at him.

Ichigo looked around, they were surrounded. "You jerk. As far as I know, they don't even know about me."

"What?" snapped Ishida. "What are you saying?"

"I kind of got the impression that what I'm doing is kind of against the rules somehow. I'm not really sure. In any case, you picked a fight with the wrong guy."

"Is that some kind of threat?" snapped Ishida.

"I've been telling you I'm going to kick your ass all day, and that's what you pick up on? No! Dumbass! I mean I've got no official affiliation with the Shinigami. I'm just some shmuck who got dragged into a bad deal." He had his firearm out and was shooting at the Hollows to drive them back.

"Regardless, I will defeat you, I'm sure they'll notice this."

Ichigo grunted. "Can't argue with that. It's a bit of a mess isn't it?" He looked around. "Anyway, while you've been giving that long boring story of yours, we've been surrounded."

"I noticed. Feel free to leave any time."

Ichigo grinned with a wild look in his eyes as he kept shooting with one hand, and hacking with the other. "Leave a fight like this one? Are you kidding? This is way too much fun!"

"Fun? Are you insane?" snapped his opponent.

Ichigo smirked. "I'm an Akkijin, fighting is in my blood."

Ishida reset his glasses with his fingers. "I see. Is that your only reason for doing this?"

"Nah. It irritates my brother, and I don't want Hollows to hurt people. Plus, at first I thought that a Hollow killed my mother. Turns out I was wrong, and she was a demon and was going to die anyway. Still, it bugged me and I don't want anyone else to feel that way for a moment if I can help it."

Uryuu gasped and looked at him. "Huh?"

"Their numbers aren't shrinking. No matter how many we take out, they just keep coming."

The Quincy gave a nod. "I noticed. Feeling the pressure."

"Nah. I kinda like it," replied the odd boy. "I usually don't get this much of a work out without my brother around. Kinda nice not having to listen to him talk."

"I see," said the other boy as he scowled. He heard his grandfather's voice in his head. "I don't like to see sad faces."

Ichigo looked back at him. "You dragged a lot of people into this fight. I'm not just going to forget about that Ishida. When this is over, I'm not gonna kill ya, but I'm gonna punch you right in your smug face. Maybe I'll feel better after, maybe not, but for taking a risk like this in my town, you deserve it."

The Quincy narrowed his eyes. "I only care about beating you. Nothing else matters."

"Yer a prick," responded Ichigo.

"And you're thick headed," replied Ishida. "I think I understand though. If either of us dies, we'll not get to beat up the other."

"Great, I'm glad we have an understanding." Ichigo blasted one of the weaker creatures in the face over his shoulder. He turned and cleaved it's skull in two. "Now, lets finish this up. If we hurry, I might make it home for dinner."

Uryuu frowned. "Kurosaki."

"Huh?"

"The Hollows are acting strange. They're looking up to the sky as if praying to something."

Both of them looked up and lowered their weapons. The Hollows had stopped moving in to attack them. The crack in the sky split as two gigantic hands pried it open, and a Hollow mask peered through. It was hundreds of times larger than the others, with a long pointed nose and a round mask with teeth on it.

"Shit," growled Uryuu. "What the hell is that?"

"How should I know?" grumbled Ichigo. "Might not make dinner."

"You're taking this so lightly? How can we fight that? We're surrounded!"

"We'll just have to kick their asses together then," replied Ichigo. "I guess."

"Yeah, great plan," grumbled Uryuu sarcastically.

There was a loud bang and several of the Hollows appeared to be blown apart, giving both boys more room.

"Kurosaki! We've come to the rescue!"

Ichigo looked confused. "Huh? Who the heck is that guy?"

"Is...that a little girl?" muttered Uryuu as he noticed the child with what appeared to be some sort of explosive ordinance with wards pasted all over it.

Urahara smiled and waved a fan. "Oh. That's right. We've not really met before have we? I am a friend of Rukia's. There was a very large man with him, a small boy with a very large mace, and a very quiet and shy looking girl.

"Huh? We're fine, really," replied Ichigo as he scratched at his head and looked confused.

"Is that what you call it?"grumbled the Quincy.

"What? We can do it," said the blond.

Urahara gave a small sigh. "We'll take care of the small fry, so you can concentrate on that one." He pointed at the huge face in the sky.

Ichigo actually looked a bit disappointed. "Oh."

Uryuu looked around. The number of Hollows was decreasing rapidly. "So...strong!"

The thing pried the sky apart father and loomed overhead.

"It's coming through!" said Ishida in horror.

"Great. Would have been hard to get to up there," replied Ichigo as he hefted his sword on his shoulder.

"I don't see how you're taking this so casually," grumbled the Quincy. "That thing..."

Ichigo gasped. "What is..."

A tongue lashed out of the beast's mouth and impaled several of the Hollows flying about it. It retracted and the monster bit down on them. Chewing them up in it's massive jaws and eating them.

"Well, he seems friendly," muttered the blond.

"Eating his own kind? Quite a guy," commented Ishida. "So, what's the plan?"

"Kick his ass," said Ichigo with a shrug.

"How? What, do you plan on walking up and punching him in the face?"

"Nah, I'm gonna cut him," replied the boy as he pointed at his sword. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"You have a strange idea of a good time. Wait! You idiot!" Ichigo started charging at it. "Come on Ishida! We might actually make dinner after all!"

OooOOooOO

"Menos Grande!" gasped Rukia as she looked on. She was standing in a small room looking out a window on the scene in the distance.

"What?" said Sado as his jaw hung. "You...know of this thing?"

"What is that?" gasped Orihime in horror.

"It's something I've only seen in text books and Illustrations. Menos Grande. It's made up of hundreds of Hollows that gather together. It's the jurisdiction of the Elite Forces! No! Ichigo isn't ready for that! He'll be killed!"

"Heh. Menos Huh? They're really pulling out all the stops aren't they?"

The group turned and saw Akuma standing with them with his arms crossed. His grin was fixed into place and he seemed calm and unconcerned.

Orihime gasped and took a step away from him.

Chad frowned and looked on. "I see. A very powerful foe."

"Ichigo! Don't!" cried Rukia.

Akuma grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "Let it be. He'll be fine." He placed her in front of the window again. "You wouldn't make it in time to do anything anyway, and you'd just get in the way."

"Are you crazy?" she snapped.

He ignored her. "This is an important battle for him. Menos Grande is powerful, but stupid. I doubt he'll have too much trouble with it."

"He'll be crushed!" gasped Orihime as she saw the blond rushing towards it and got a sense of scale about it.

"Even if he is, it won't kill him," said Akuma with a small shrug. "Might do him a bit of good. He's strong enough."

Rukia frowned at him. "You...what would you know?"

"Menos? A rather pathetic creature, despite it's intimidating size and some strength, it's no real threat. Just watch. My brother won't be killed by such a thing. Please, don't insult my family by suggesting such a thing." He rolled his eyes and seemed unimpressed as he responded.

Chad nodded. "He is his brother. Still, what would you know of such things?"

Akuma turned his grin towards him. "Well, I've never seen one, but...I know others who have. They're nothing particularly special as far as Hollows go. Large and powerful, but relatively brainless. There are much stronger beings in Hueco Mundo. Quite a few actually. Those are just the largest of what you'd find there, hardly the most dangerous."

"Hueco Mundo?" asked Orihime in confusion.

Rukia scowled at him. "It's one of the places between this world and Soul Society. A dimension of Hollows. They don't remain here forever, and pass through to their own dimension when they aren't hunting humans."

"Wow. You know a lot about this, Kuchiki!" The redhead was impressed.

Chad noted that as well, but remained silent.

"She should. She's the reason Ichigo is caught up in all this. She's a Shinigami, but something happened and she lost her powers. So my brother has been helping her out."

Rukia tensed up and glared at him. "You asshole. I'm not supposed to tell people about that."

"You didn't, I did. Besides, as much as you've been running your mouth, it was just a matter of time until at least Sado figured it out."

"Oooh," said Inoue with a nod.

Chad put his face into his hand.

OooOOooOO

The thing stepped out of the great crack in the sky and stomped forward. Ichigo hacked at it's foot and made a good sized cut, but the creature kicked at him. The blond flipped out of the way and hacked again, going deeper the second time.

The great monster fell to it's knees and swatted at him with it's palm. Ichigo managed to jump out of the way between the fingers and hacked at it's palm. "Ha! Take that you big ugly...er...thing!" The monster lifted it's hand and swatted him back. He hit the dirt near to where Ishida was rushing up.

"Ouch. I guess it's not all looks." The demon half was rubbing at his forehead and looking annoyed.

"Kurosaki! What are you doing?" Uryuu looked half terrified and slid to a stop next to him.

"Pissing it off apparently," he grumbled. "I was gonna try to take it's feet out, and cut my way up to the head."

"And you expected that to work?" snapped Ishida.

"Well, I was hoping it would fall over and I could get at it's face sooner, but yeah. Kind of."

Without thinking, Ishida put his hand on the boy's sword. The bow in his hand grew to about four times larger. He almost gasped in awe, when the weapon suddenly turned bright orange. The Quincy screamed in pain as a burning energy flowed through his body. His hand flew off of his body and he crumpled down on his knees clutching his arm.

"Hey, are you all right?" muttered the wide eyed blond.

"What? What was that power? It felt like my whole body was on fire!" gasped Ishida as he shivered.

"Crap," grumbled Ichigo as he looked up. The thing hadn't stood up again, but its mouth was open. A ball of energy was forming in its jaws pointed right at them. He jumped in front of Uryuu and the boy reached for him. "Kurosaki! Wait! Where are you....?"

The energy blasted forward in a massive beam of power. Ichigo raised his left arm and kept his sword behind him. The mirror appeared on his arm again, and the blast slammed into it. The blond struggled to keep his footing, falling to one knee as the energy poured over his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to keep his arm raised. "Damn. This is strong."

It couldn't last forever, the blast dissipated and Ichigo relaxed. "It's over." The mirror on his arm was glowing with a white light. That was the least of his problems. Menos had noticed that it's attack hadn't worked and slammed his palm down on top of him.

Ichigo looked up as the shadow loomed over him. "Uh oh." He hadn't recovered from the blast, and couldn't move fast enough to dodge. "Crap!"

The monster slammed it's hand into the ground and twisted it. The next thing Ichigo knew, he was standing on top of it's hand, with a hot sensation coming from his neck. He blinked and looked shocked. "Huh?" He looked down at himself and patted his chest over. "I'm...not flattened?"

The thing glared down at him and started lifting it's palm. "Great. Well, I guess I'm stuck then." He managed to keep his balance on the back of it's palm and swung his arm back.

The thing was preparing another of the blasts. He raised his mirror again, and pointed it at the thing's face. "Here we go..." He focused this time, right at the thing's nose.

Ichigo almost lost his footing as a beam of power blasted from the mirror on his arm just as large as the one that had been blasted at him before. In fact, it was the one that had been blasted at him. "Whoa!" He cried as the thing took the shot dead in the face.

The Menos screamed in pain and rage as it shook it's hand. Ichigo tumbled off, flipping his way to the ground and landing in a crouch. He remained in place and had his head down, with his knees and palms in the dirt.

The gigantic beast lumbered back, pulling the crack closed over itself as it retreated.

"You...did it!" gasped Uryuu as he rushed up with wide eyes.

Ichigo looked up at him, his expression was not pleasant.

"Are...you all right?" asked Ishida.

"The ground...it's harder than it looks."

"Well, you did fall about five stories," said the Quincy as he scowled at him.

Ichigo stood up and nodded. "Yeah. Kind of sucked. I guess I'm all right though."

"What was that you did?" said Uryuu as he looked at the demon half in confusion.

Ichigo raised his left arm and a mirrored shield appeared on his forearm. "This thing."

"What is that?"

"It's Yata no Kagami," replied Ichigo.

"Huh?" said Uryuu with wide eyes as his jaw dropped completely. He focused his glasses. "That thing?"

The blond shrugged. "What? You're surprised? You were there when I killed Yamata no Orochi. I got it from him."

The white clad boy blinked. "Wait, you mean that was the real...?"

"Yeah. Kind of."

Ishida frowned and cocked his head. "Wow. That is something isn't it?"

"Yeah. I thought I could use it to block that blast, but I didn't know it could shoot it back." Ichigo looked at his arm and the mirror vanished. "Pretty useful."

"How did you avoid getting crushed? I didn't see you dodge. You...just appeared on top of it."

"Not sure," replied Ichigo with a small shrug. "Just happened."

Ishida narrowed his eyes. He'd moved that fast and not realized it? It seemed impossible. "Then again..." he muttered.

"Huh?" said Ichigo as he looked about. "I guess the Hollows are all gone then?"

Uryuu nodded. "It would appear so."

"Good." The blond boy punched him dead in the face.

The Quincy clutched at his nose and scowled at him. "What are you doing?"

Ichigo looked at him. "I told you I was gonna do that. I'm not mad at you anymore, but I'm not gonna thank you, seeing as that mess was your fault to begin with."

Uryuu stood up and rubbed at his face. "I see. Well, this is finished then."

"Yeah. I kicked your ass. Pick on a real Shinigami next time. Leave me out of it." Ichigo cracked his neck and seemed to relax. "I'll see you around."

"Don't talk to me as if we're friends. I've not changed my mind about anything. I will defeat you, Kurosaki."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll see you at school then. You can work on pissing me off there." He put his hands behind his head and started walking. "I'm starved. I hope Yuzu has dinner ready when I get back."

Ishida just looked on as he walked away. "Yeah. See you."

OooOOooOO

Urahara smiled as he turned away, leaving his subordinates. "I'll leave the crack in the sky to you." He walked by Tessai.

"Sir!" said the man.

OooOOooOO

"Kurosaki," said Orihime as she looked out over the end of the battle. Ishida and Ichigo went their separate ways. Leaving the empty field in their wake. The battle was won, it was finished.

"Impressive," said Chad.

"Yes. He's coming along well," agreed Akuma. "I'll see you later. It's almost time for dinner." He paused. "Oh, and Rustanica. There's no way they overlooked this."

Rukia scowled at his grin, and gave a single nod.

"What do you mean?" asked Orihime.

"It's nothing," replied the white haired boy. He turned and left the room.

The redhead looked at Rukia. "What is he talking about?"

She stood up and moved after him. "Nothing. Just some personal business. You two have a lot to think about. I suggest you carefully consider what Urahara told you." She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Go home, and get some rest."

Chad frowned a little more as he nodded. "Very well."

Orihime scowled at it. "Something, doesn't seem right with Kuchiki."

Sado gave a nod. "Yes. We shouldn't pry though, and she is right. We should both go home, and consider what we just witnessed, and what it may mean for our own futures. I believe Kuchiki can take care of herself, if she needs help, she has good friends, and I believe she knows it."

The orange haired girl nodded. "You''re right." She was still unsettled, but did feel a little better. She had a great deal to think about indeed.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Ichigo meets Renji and Bayakuya.


	9. Chapter 9

The Devil's Bleached Tears

Part 9

The Hunters.

OooOOooOO

Two ghostly figures stood on a rooftop overlooking Karakura Town. They were both dressed in the black robes of Shinigami and had swords hanging from their belts. A butterfly fluttered off having delivered it's message. "Find Kuchiki Rukia, and capture or kill her."

The shorter of the pair gave a snort. "Feh. This isn't work for a Shinigami."

"Not really," commented the taller of the two in an emotionless tone. He paused and looked over his shoulder with his hand moving towards the hilt of his blade.

A figure stepped out of the shadows looking right at them. It stayed in the darkness and didn't approach.

"Who?" grumbled the shorter shinigami as he noticed where the other was looking.

"No one to concern yourself with. You're not what I'm looking for. I haven't seen Shinigami in a while." The shadow spoke in an amused feminine tone.

"What do you want?" asked the taller of the two as his hand moved away from his sword.

"I'm hunting. Nothing to concern yourselves with. I'm not concerned with your business, and we just happened to cross paths." She stayed where she was and leaned against the wall that was keeping her hidden in the shadows. They could make out her form, but little more.

The shorter of the pair scowled. "You a human. You can see us?"

The taller one turned away. "Enough. If we have no business with each other, there's no need for further discussion. I warn you to stay out of our way."

"I ask the same of you then. I told you already, I don't care about shinigami business. I've got my own prey." She turned away and vanished into the darkness.

"What a weirdo," grumbled the shorter shinigami.

"Don't concern yourself," replied the other as he started moving in the opposite direction from the stranger. "We have business of our own." He turned his eyes towards where the feminine figure had gone. "A rarity, but not unheard of. Ignore it."

The shorter one sounded a little unnerved. "Right. Still..."

OooOOooOO

Urahara smiled as he sat down and smiled at the black cat that had shown up at his business and home a short time before. It was sitting on the porch looking up at the sky. "Yoruichi, do you think it's going to rain?" He seemed cheerful, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

The animal spoke up, it's tone was rough and masculine. "Don't play stupid. You know that they've come."

His face fell a little and he gave a short nod. "Yes. I wanted to discuss that with you...and another matter as well."

The cat looked back at him and narrowed it's eyes. "I'm listening."

"Of course we have to consider what the Shinigami are up to, but...there's another concern now."

Yoruichi looked away from him and hung her head. "Another concern?"

"There's a demonic presence here. Hell has been sniffing around for something. I'm not sure what, but I think I might have some idea. I fear it might become entangled in this as well." Urahara opened his fan. "The demons appear to have an agent that can pass freely through the gates. The seals might be in danger."

The cat glanced back at him and narrowed her eyes. "That's not a concern of ours. There are others who deal with that sort of thing."

Urahara nodded. "Yes. The most powerful of which has not been seen for years. I fear our young friend has become involved with more than just the affairs of the Shinigami."

"That's unfortunate," commented the animal as she hung her head.

"Maybe not as much as you think," said Urahara with a serious expression on his face. "In any case, I don't think these issues are as separate as we'd like."

"What do you mean?" snapped Yoruichi as she seemed to get annoyed.

The shop keeper narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure yet. I'm not so sure they're looking for a way to break the seals. At least not yet."

"What's that got to do with..."

"Let's just say that Kuchiki has made an unusual friend," he responded before she finished. "It could be problematic, but then again it may be just what we need."

"I don't like the sound of that," replied the cat.

"I'm not so sure I do either, but we may be forced to deal with the hand we're dealt."

Yoruichi hung her head again. "I see..."

OooOOooOO

"They're here," said Akuma to himself. He was standing off on his own looking out over the city on the rooftop of the school. It was the lunch period, and Ichigo was sitting nearby with Ishida, Keigo, and Mizuiro.

Rukia was being standoffish and quiet and his idiot brother hadn't noticed. She was eating lunch on the grounds with a group of girls.

Ichigo was having a rather pathetic argument with Uryuu over lunch. "Shut up and face the other way while you eat if you don't like it." They were both avoiding looking directly at each other and grumbling in the same manner. Mizuiro seemed to notice and Keigo just looked bored and miserable. The brunette boy had gotten roped into paying for Ichigo and Uryuu's lunches.

Akuma smirked as he poked at his own lunch and ignored them. "There's something else as well. I wonder what it might be?"

OooOOooOO

Ichigo walked into his room holding a tray of food and looked around. "Oi, Rukia! I brought you some dinner. Hey..." He got no response and glanced around with a frown on his face.

"She's not here," said Akuma from behind him.

His brother frowned and glanced over his shoulder. "Where is she then?"

"How should I know? She left a note though," said the white haired boy.

Kon poked his head out of Akuma's pocket. "Thanks for saving me Big Brother Akuma. It was awful in there."

That annoyed Ichigo and he was distracted from the note. "Saving you?"

The plushie hopped out onto the floor and looked up at him. "Big sister tied me up in the bathroom! I have no idea why!"

The strawberry blond scowled. "You were probably trying to peek on her changing again, weren't you?"

The stuffed animal nodded. "Well, of course. I don't think that was it though."

Akuma shrugged. "I found him taped up behind the toilet. He's lucky I found him, because dad went in right after me and stayed for a while." He kind of wished he'd pretended to not notice and left him there. It was too late though and he didn't worry about it. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, or in that case, the worst.

Ichigo grunted and set the tray down. "I wonder what's up with her? She's been acting weird all day."

His brother cocked his head and seemed to think on it. He already knew why, but saw no reason to make things easier on his brother. "Who knows?"

"Well, I guess we could just wait until she gets back and ask her. What a pain," grumbled the blond.

"Or, we could read the note she left," said Kon as he looked up at him.

Ichigo seemed to consider that for a moment. "Oh. Yeah."

Akuma came very close to putting his face into his hand, but refrained.

"What is this? It makes no sense," said Ichigo as he opened the letter and looked confused. There was an awful drawing and confusing gibberish on the page.

Kon managed to climb up onto the desk top using the chord of a lamp and walked over to him. "Let me see." He paused and looked it over as Ichigo set it down. "I think it's a word puzzle."

"I hate puzzles," said the blond.

"Noted," commented his brother. "I think that's supposed to be a tanuki."

"What's with this crap anyway?" grumbled Ichigo in frustration.

Kon scowled at him. "I think I get it. We remove the word 'tanuki' and the rest is the message."

Ichigo took a pen out of a cup on the desk and drew a line through the kanji for the word in various places. He paused and read out loud. "I have to leave, don't worry or come looking for me, and if you can go into hiding?" He furrowed his eyebrows and scratched his head. "What the hell?"

Kon gasped and looked up at Ichigo. "Something bad must have happened!"

Akuma gave a small sigh. "What are the chances you'll listen to her?"

"None," responded his brother.

"That's what I figured. See you later," the other twin turned around and waved his hand as he left the room.

"Where are you going? You're not going to help?" Ichigo looked annoyed.

"Why would I? She's no friend of mine. Look after your own if you want. You're going to get your ass kicked if you stick your nose into this. Not that it will stop you." Akuma left the room and wandered off into the hall. He paused and looked down at Karin with a frown. She was standing in the hall and looked a little flustered from being caught listening in. Not that she could help it. "You stay out of this, you're not strong enough to be of any help. He'll live, but he won't like what he finds."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean? That girl is in some kind of trouble?"

He smirked at her. "Kind of. There's nothing you can do but get in the way. Ichikun will live, but you'd just get yourself killed. Forget about it for now, maybe you'll be useful later, but as you are now you're just a liability. Stay put."

She stepped back and hung her head with her fists balled up.

Ichigo walked out into the hall. "Huh? What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing," muttered the girl as she turned away and went into her room.

Yuzu was sitting on her bed and looked up as her sister walked into the room. Karin sat down on the edge of her mattress and glared at the carpet. "That jerk."

Her twin shrugged. "Well, I'm not going after them. That girl was pretty nice I guess, but...we're not very strong yet. Ichigo and Akuma are much stronger."

Karin frowned at her. "He's not going to help or anything."

Yuzu cocked her head. "I wonder where he's going then?"

Her sister flopped down. "Great. How am I supposed to go to sleep after that?"

The brunette narrowed her eyes. "We should stay here. I can tell you're thinking of leaving."

Karin put her face into her pillow and kicked her legs up behind her. "Yeah? So? Why should I listen to him? He's a jerk anyway."

Her twin crossed her arms and put her nose up. "He wouldn't say something like that for no reason. Maybe you don't like him, but we shouldn't be running off."

The dark haired girl frowned at that. "Well, I'm going anyway. I'm not going to get any sleep after that anyway."

"What? You'll get in trouble!" snapped Yuzu.

Karin was already crawling out the window. "What? Are you going to tell on me?"

"Maybe I will!" growled her sister as she stood up and balled up her fists.

Karin ignored her and hopped outside. She landed lightly despite dropping from the second floor into the back yard.

"Oooh. Darn it!" grumbled Yuzu as she followed after her. "Karin! Wait! Come back! We could get killed!"

The raven haired girl smirked as she noticed her sister following after her. "I just want to see what's going on. We'll just watch or something. No harm in that right?"

The brunette girl looked annoyed as her sister jumped over a six foot fence and into the street with no real effort. "Wait up!" She moved after her and landed with her in the street. "I guess we can watch, but you'd better stay out of the way!"

Her sister brushed her off. "Yeah, yeah. We'll be fine."

OooOOooOO

Rukia ran through the streets of Karakura. She wasn't sure where she was going, or how far she'd get. It was just a matter of time until they tracked her down. Until then, she had to get as far away from Ichigo as possible. So, she simply moved away from the clinic, running down random streets and doing her best to keep a low profile.

She didn't notice the two figures watching her from above. One of them was scanning her with a pair of goggles. "Huh. There's artificial bones in there. I thought the readouts were off." He pulled them off his eyes. "Kuchiki Rukia, we've found you." He grinned and had spiky red hair tied up into a ponytail behind his head and tattoos instead of eyebrows. The other taller figure had straight black hair with ornaments braided into it hanging from the side of his face and on top of the left side of his forehead. He had a serious emotionless expression and looked over the shorter shinigami's shoulder at the lone girl.

Rukia was thinking of the people she'd met since she'd come there. It made a lump in her gut to do so. "Am I getting too attached to this world?"

"Yes. So you knew after all?"

She gasped and stopped in her tracks, turning to face the voice and look up to the source. "You...is it? Abari Renji?"

"Man. You're talking backwards. You've enjoyed this world for too long. You can only live just a little longer, Rukia." He jumped down and slashed at her with his sword. She jumped out of the way, but he wasn't really aiming to strike her. "Heh. You've gotten soft in these past three months. To not notice two Shinigami hunters right behind you, lost in your own thoughts? How pathetic. Now, call him, call this human that stole your powers."

She stepped back again. "You can't prove that I'm in this false form because a human stole my powers."

Renji smirked at that. "You know damn well that your powers were stolen by a human. Don't look at me that way. It's disgusting. You're a trained rookie of the Kuchiki clan. Isn't that right. Kuchiki?"

Rukia looked over her shoulder and saw the other Shinigami. "Byakuya? Big...brother?"

Renji slashed at her again forcing her to roll aside. "Giving your powers to a human? We were tasked with executing the human who took them from you! You're in serious trouble." He raised his sword. "You're not stupid enough to believe that I didn't let you dodge that attack. Now, where is that human? You're already captured, and he will die. My next attack will be serious!" He paused and dodged as a white light blew past his head. "What the?"

Rukia looked back in shock at the figure that approached them.

"Attacking an unarmed woman with a sword? Not a very pleasant scene to walk in on." Uryuu walked up and adjusted his glasses. He had a plastic bag in his hand with sewing supplies in it. "I really dislike this sort of thing."

"Who the hell are you?" growled the redhead.

"Just a classmate of hers, who hates Shinigami." Ishida narrowed his eyes with his bow in his free hand.

"What are you doing here?" muttered Rukia in shock.

"I just wanted to go to the nearby Sunflower Tailor store. This neighborhood happened to be the closest. It's pure chance." The bag fell away from his hand as the handles were cut clean through.

"No! Uryuu, run!" cried the girl.

"It's too late for that. I've been in this stinking shit hole tracking you down for too long." Renji glared at him. "I asked you once you four eyed punk. Who the hell are you?"

Ishida narrowed his eyes. "I told you already. I'm just a classmate who hates Shinigami."

"I don't care about that shit!" snapped the swordsman.

"Ishida Uryuu. I suppose I should tell you my name even if you are a Shinigami. You'll want to know who defeated you."

"No! Don't!" cried Rukia as she tried to move between them.

"Okay, I've decided to kill you then!" said Renji with a wild glare in his eyes.

Uryuu started to aim is weapon, but his eyes went wide as his opponent sped by him. He fell to his knees as his gut started to burn. Blood seeped down his clothes from the open gash in his belly as he fell face first onto the ground and started to cough. He couldn't move and was paralyzed in pain and shock. "So...strong."

Renji chuckled. "That's right. You're pathetic, now die!" He started to stab down with his sword, but a huge blade slammed down in his way, blocking his strike and shattering part of the pavement.

"What? Who the?" snapped the irate redhead as he jumped up and back onto a wall.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, the one who will defeat you," said the strawberry blond boy who narrowed his eyes at his new opponent.

Renji gasped and looked confused. "That...sword? What? Who is this idiot with that stupidly huge sword?"

The blond hefted it over his shoulder. "Yeah. It's big I guess. Never had anyone but Rukia to compare it too before though."

"Ichigo...that idiot. Why did he come here?" Rukia looked worried and her eyes darted between them.

Renji smirked. "Oh. You must be that human that stole Rukia's powers?"

The boy seemed to think on that. "That's part right...I guess."

The shinigami jumped into the air. "You're dead!"

Ichigo raised his hand and a loud report sounded. The stranger was knocked out of the air and landed on his back clutching is face.

"Ouch! What the hell?" grumbled the man as he rubbed at his nose. His eyes went wide as Ichigo pointed his firearm at him. "Huh?"

"You're...lame," said the blond.

Renji narrowed his eyes and became a blur of motion. Ichigo staggered back as he moved as fast as he could to block. "What's this? You've got a lot of nerve calling me lame you slow bastard? Is this all you've got?" He flew back as another bang sounded between them and grunted in irritated pain. "Ouch."

"Nah. I just haven't warmed up yet," replied Ichigo. "Who the hell are you anyway? What's your beef with Rukia?"

"All you need to know is you're going to die, and she'll get her powers back!" His opponent rushed forward again.

Ichigo raised his shotgun, but the figure blurred and vanished before he fired. "Huh?" He didn't see him reappear behind and above him and fell to the ground with a wound on his shoulder.

Renji landed in front of him and put his sword on his shoulder. "Just like I thought. You're nothing." He smirked and looked down at him. "Pathetic. You're pretty stupid coming out here. Did you think you could change something? A hasty Shinigami like you could never scratch an experienced shinigami like me."

There was a blur of motion and a flash in front of his face. Ichigo stood up and hefted his own weapon onto his shoulder as he glared at him. "Who are you calling a shinigami? Go ahead and keep talking, but you don't know what you're getting into pal."

"What?" muttered the man as he rubbed at the tiny cut on his chin with his thumb. "You bastard."

"Renji, you were careless." Byakuya spoke up in a calm and even tone.

The redhead looked annoyed. "What are you talking about? This guy is nothing! This Kurosaki Ichigo punk is pathetic."

"I thought I recognized him. Kurosaki Ichigo, thirty three hours ago our undercover forces were able to give us the image. We sent Menos Grande to the void, due to the scar he gave him."

Renji started laughing. "That's bullshit. There's no way this slow jerk gave something like Menos Grande a scar. He couldn't even defeat evil spirits. It's obvious our undercover forces are slipping." He looked at his opponent. "Hey, what's the name of your zanpakuto?"

The blond frowned. "Huh? What are you talking about? You guys go around naming your swords?"

The redhead sneered at him. "See, just like I said. He's stupid enough to think he's my equal without bothering to ask his sword it's name!" He raised his own weapon and it changed in appearance, becoming sectioned with spike like blades poking out of the sides along the cutting edge. "Roar Zabimaru! Look in front of you, there's food!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "You know, your attitude is beginning to piss me off."

Renji laughed as he jumped towards him. "Just die, loser!"

The blond raised his weapon to block and gripped his shotgun. The firearm fell to the ground as blood poured from his other shoulder. "What?"

Renji's sword had separated to become a whip like weapon. He looked confident in his victory. "You've lost! Abari Renji will kill you now!"

Kurosaki fell to his knees and glared at the ground. "That does it."

"Huh? Don't tell me that you...ooof!" Renji flew back with a wide eyed expression on his face. His weapon had retracted, becoming a sword again.

Ichigo had just vanished from in front of his eyes and slammed his fist into his gut. Renji growled as he landed on his feet and slid back. "What the hell?" The blow had hurt far more than he expected. It was not near enough to take him out though.

"Funny you should say that," said the strange boy. A violet energy was emanating off of his body like dark flames. He readied his blade again and narrowed his eyes. "I told you before, I'm no Shinigami."

"What? What is this?" muttered Byakuya as he looked on in surprise.

Rukia gasped. "What is he doing?"

Ichigo smirked. "Now, this fight can really start." He charged and slashed with his weapon. Renji brought his own blade up to stop it and was thrown back six feet from the force of the blow.

"Damn! What is with this asshole?" growled the redhead. He lashed out with his weapon like a whip again.

The demonic boy shifted aside and rolled to the left avoiding it before charging forward and hefting his blade back. The blond slashed at his opponent's exposed gut as the redhead looked down in helpless shock. Only to feel no resistance as he hacked at him.

"Huh?" Ichigo weapon was cut off near the hilt, the blade cleaved in two. "What? What happened?"

"Ichigo! No!" cried Rukia.

The blond turned towards the dark haired man as the redhead jumped out of the way with wide eyes and a shocked expression of his own.

Ichigo looked down at the broken sword. The other shinigami was too far away to have been the culprit. The redhead was frozen in place and looked shocked. "It couldn't be, but that guy didn't do it..." He gasped as the dark haired man dropped the broken blade of his sword from his fingers and then vanished. "N...no way!" He felt funny for a moment and the area around his throat felt warm as he stumbled for a moment.

"What?" Byakuya was wide eyed with his weapon held in a finished strike. There was no blood on his blade, and he'd felt no resistance. "I...missed?"

Ichigo growled as he hung his head a little. "So, teaming up on me then?"

Renji narrowed his eyes and scowled. "He hit him, I know he did. Who the hell is this guy?"

Byakuya frowned and appeared next to the redhead "We need to finish this."

"Right," said Renji with a smirk.

The blond glared at him with his eyes glowing red. "I was just thinking the same thing." He looked at Abari and smirked. "You asked me what my sword was named. It's true I never 'asked' it, but...I do have a sword with a name."

"Uh oh," muttered Rukia as she staggered back and looked worried.

Renji took note of her reaction and frowned at his opponent in a more cautious manner. "Yeah? So that wasn't your real zanpakuto then?"

A katana appeared in the blond's grip and he drew the blade out, holding the sheath in his other hand. "It's called Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, and it's not a zanpakuto."

Byakuya gasped. "Renji, do not hold back. We are not facing a human opponent." He readied his sword and narrowed his eyes.

Renji set himself and glanced at his superior. "What do you mean?"

His superior had an even more serious expression on his face than usual. "That sword is a Devil Arm."

The redhead looked shocked and shifted away as he felt Byakuya's spiritual power growing to the limits of the seal. "What?"

Ichigo slumped to the ground and fell on his face for no apparent reason. "That's right, but it wouldn't do for him to die just yet."

The pair of Shinigami looked on as another figure appeared beside them. He looked like the boy who had just fallen and had a smirk on his face and a large European style broadsword on his shoulder. Byakuya narrowed his eyes at him. "Who are you?"

"This fool's brother. Now, I suggest you take what you came for and leave." Akuma seemed very relaxed and unconcerned with the pair.

"What? You bastard! I'll..." snapped Renji. He froze as the figure vanished and appeared behind himself and Byakuya.

"You must be Kuchiki Byakuya. I've heard about you. I suggest you reign in your lackey, before he gets himself killed."

The pair spun around and the dark haired shinigami slashed behind him. He looked shocked as he missed yet again. "What is this?"

"You know, you might be a match for me on your home turf. Here however, you're both badly outclassed. I've got no limits on my power here." Akuma spoke up from behind them and they turned again.

"What do you want?" growled Abari.

"Just to keep this idiot from getting himself killed. It's too soon for that, and he's still useful," replied the demon half. "He's no concern of yours anyway."

"Who are you?" snapped Renji.

"None of your business, that's who," replied the demonic figure. He walked over and kicked his brother in the back of his head as he began to stir. Ichigo went limp again and he seemed satisfied.

Rukia called out to him. "Get him out of here! Just take him and go!"

"I can't allow that. He was ordered executed," said Byakuya. "The one who stole your powers cannot be allowed to live."

Akuma chuckled. "You idiots just don't get it do you?" He glared at them over his shoulder. "He didn't steal anything. Your...charming friend just awakened his latent powers. He didn't have anything to do with the loss of her powers, but I doubt she's figured that out yet, have you?"

Rukia was confused. "Wh-what?"

"You're pretty stupid jumping into this." Renji gasped and got wide eyed. Byakuya stepped back and put his hand on his blade again, and Rukia fell to her knees with wide eyed horror.

The thing standing before them was radiating waves of powerful energy. The spiritual pressure of it's presence was thick in the air around them. It had black skin that looked like exoskeleton, two horns curving down the sides of it's face that pointed forward at it's cheeks, glowing red eyes, two wings were folded up behind it's back, and sharp black teeth. "I suggest you consider your position, shinigami. I've little patience for games."

"Demons!" muttered Renji. "What the hell are they doing here?"

Byakuya glanced at him. "I see." He looked back at the beast before them. "It seems we have no quarrel with you."

Akuma appeared human again and smiled with his creepy grin. "I doubt my brother will be very happy with you when he wakes up. He's still weak and attached to the humans. I suppose he thinks of that one as a friend. I could care less, but it wouldn't do to have him die before his usefulness is over."

Renji snarled. "What are you doing here?"

His superior spoke calmly. "That's enough. Demons aren't our business. It's time to go. Come Rukia, you may be less fortunate than you think."

She gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. "Wh-what?"

"What were you doing with those demons?" snapped Renji as he grabbed her arm and pulled her along. "You'll be executed for conspiring with them. Just losing your powers wasn't that big a deal. You were likely to just get a suspension. Meddling in the affairs of demons is a violation of the Hell treaty! It's a serious offense!"

"I..." stammered Rukia in shock. "...but..." Akuma looked at her with that smile. It sent shivers down her spine to look at it. She stared over her shoulder and went pale. "You..." She hung her head and stared at the ground as they pulled her away.

Akuma gave a small wave. "Goodbye, and thank you for getting rid of that annoying sword. It was in the way."

A moment later, they vanished into a doorway that appeared out of nothing. Rukia wasn't struggling and seemed to accept her fate. She glanced back and gave the white haired boy a scowl as she vanished into the doorway. "Keep him away."

Akuma narrowed his eyes. "Why should I?"

She gasped and looked at him with wide eyes as the other two pulled her through with them and gave him a cautious looking glance.

No more than thirty seconds later, Ichigo gasped as he pushed himself up. "No! Rukia!"

"Awake are you?" said his brother as he looked down at him.

"Akuma? What...what are you doing here? Where's Rukia?" He stood up and looked around.

"Keeping you from getting killed," replied the white haired boy in a casual manner. "You were lucky enough to live that long thanks to your little toys."

Ichigo ignored what he said and grabbed him by his shirt. "Where's Rukia? What have you done?"

Akuma shoved him off and he hit the wall. "You idiot. Attacking those two that way. They were about to kill you, and that little necklace of yours wouldn't have saved your ass again." He slugged him across his jaw. "It's only good once every thirty minutes. They would have carved you to ribbons."

"What are you talking about? Where...where is Rukia?" snarled Ichigo as he glared at him in a barely controlled rage.

"Back at Soul Society where she belongs. They came to collect her. She'll be executed for her crimes."

The blond froze and looked up at his brother in shock. "What?"

Akuma seemed very calm. "There's nothing you can do. It's time to go, and she's already gone."

"You could have stopped them!" cried Ichigo as he lunged forward.

His brother looked him up and down and his brother stopped short of tackling him. "I told you already, that's up to you. You failed. You're not strong enough, and you almost got yourself killed."

Ichigo fell to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut. "I...failed?" He jabbed his finger at him. "You asshole. I was fine until you jumped me!

"You're pathetically weak right now. You couldn't even hold off those two in their weakened state. Their powers are suppressed on this plane." His brother glared down at him. "I saved your pathetic life, be grateful for that. You might have taken the redhead on this plane, but his friend would have destroyed you with little effort."

"What did you say?" snapped his brother in rage.

Akuma appeared behind him. "You just don't get it do you? Let me ask you something, how much do you think I've been holding back with you up till now?"

The blond gasped and froze as he looked over his shoulder with wide eyes. He'd not even seen him move. "What?"

"You've not even seen a tenth of my true power, Ichikun. You're nowhere near ready for that. Now, I suggest you stop bellyaching and pay attention to what I told you. I saved your life, I am not joking, nor am I even close to exaggerating the facts. You would have failed, and your little shinigami friend would be in the same position she is in now. There was no other possible outcome of this battle. Do you understand that?"

Ichigo glared down at the ground. His brother's tone was different than he'd ever heard from him before. He didn't sound like he was joking or teasing him even the slightest bit. "I will save her." He spoke in a firm tone as his eyes went hard.

Akuma smirked. "As you are now, you'll just fail. You need to be stronger, much stronger."

His twin whirled around to glare at him. "I don't have time for this. She's..."

"She'll be fine...for a time. You don't have any to waste, if you really want to save her that is." The white haired boy gave a malevolent smirk.

His brother felt numb and weak. "Of course, you'll help with that?" He sounded cautious and annoyed with him. He had a feeling this was exactly what his brother had wanted from the start.

"That's why I'm here. I'm afraid you're going to have to forget about this...shinigami business. It will only get in the way." Akuma looked up at the moon.

Ichigo stood up and balled up his fists. "You planned all this, didn't you?"

The white haired boy shook his head. "No. You give me too much credit. I just took advantage of an opportunity. They were coming for her sooner or later, it was just a matter of time. You wouldn't have grown strong enough to do anything about it without proper motivation and those shinigami powers in the way anyway. Now, perhaps you'll be willing to work for it. I admit that I knew this was coming, but I had no hand in it. It was just an inevitable factor that I took advantage of for my own ends. Is that a problem, Ichikun?"

His brother didn't look happy. He wanted to shoot the bastard in the face. He needed him though. "So, you're saying I've still got a chance to save Rukia then?"

"Perhaps," replied the twin with a shrug. "Certainly not as you are now." He started to turn away and fell flat on his back as a loud bang sounded.

Ichigo blinked and looked down at him. "Huh?" He looked over his shoulder at where his shotgun was still on the ground. "How did..." Another bang sounded and he hit the ground face first. "Ouch. What the hell?"

"Crap," grumbled Akuma with a scowl on his face and a red mark in the center of his forehead. There was also a strange hissing sound in the air.

They both scrambled away as three rockets slammed into the ground where they were lying from an unknown position. The explosion tossed them about a little and they ended up on the ground on their sides with three new smoking pot holes in the street between them.

"Well, I've finally found you," said an unfamiliar voice.

The pair sat up and turned in the same direction.

An older woman in a short skirt with a white blouse was standing there and looking at them through a pair of shades. She had short cut dark hair, looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, and was covered in guns. A particularly large rocket launcher with multiple barrels and a large blade set into the front end was hanging off her back with a little smoke coming out of the barrels. She also had a pair of pistols in her grip aimed at them both. "Just die."

The pair scrambled around as sparks flew off the pavement as she fired at them both with the weapons. They managed to dodge and looked both alarmed and confused.

"Who the hell?" grumbled Ichigo.

"How should I know?" muttered his brother.

"The name is Lady," replied the woman as she took a few steps forward and shifted her hips. "I've come to destroy you." She spun the handguns around her fingers and spun around pulling the rocket launcher off her back again.

"Shit," muttered Akuma.

"Move!" cried his brother as the weapon went off. Three rockets fired at them at the same time, curving and twisting in the air as they bore down on them. They managed to move fast enough to avoid getting hit by the blast as the rockets made more holes in the street.

The woman let the weapon hang by it's strap and pulled a small sub machine gun up. She opened fire pelting them both with a hail of bullets.

Ichigo grunted as his body exploded in pain and spun around in the air hitting the ground roughly. He landed and a cloud of dust kicked up as he struggled to push his chest up and look at the woman. She already had a handgun pointed at his head and scowled at him. "Go back to Hell." She pulled the trigger and gasped as she jumped back. Rather than hit the boy on his face, sparks flew as they impacted the flat edge of a large sword.

Akuma had landed on top of his brother's head, driving his face into the ground and speared his own weapon into the asphalt in front of him. He stood up straight and stepped off the back of Ichigo's head. "Well, he could do with a visit, but he's never been there before. It's a bit too soon, and he's not ready for that yet." He pulled the weapon up on his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at her. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want with us?"

"I'm a devil hunter," replied Lady. She shifted into a kick and spun around firing her weapon at the boy with her free hands. "I'm sure you can figure the rest out on your own."

Akuma bent and twisted out of the way, reaching up and twisting her arm. She was very flexible though, and turned her other arm around her back putting another firearm under his chin.

The half demon was thrown off his feet and landed on the ground on his back. "Nimble little minx, isn't she?"

"Shut up, I'm still pissed at you," growled Ichigo as he glared at him and staggered to his feet. The woman turned and planted her heel into his face. He stood there and took it, rocking back a little. "Cut it out. What the hell did I do to..."

"You exist, and you don't belong here," said the woman as she put two shots into his chest. He flew back and landed several feet away. It was a very large handgun with hollow point shells that hit him like a sledge hammer.

Lady gasped as the other demon rushed up behind her and pulled his arms up under her shoulders. She reached back to put her weapon against his temple, but was lifted off her feet and suplexed into her shoulders as he bent his legs back.

She grunted in pain and scowled as she rolled away as he released her and her eyes went wide as the first thing she saw was his shin. Her head spun as her neck was snapped to the left as he clocked her with a hard kick. The white haired demon frowned at her as she staggered to her feet. "You're pretty tough."

"Comes with the job," she replied as she glared up at him. Her glasses had come off and her irises were two different colors.

Akuma crossed his arms and frowned at her. She raised her weapons and started firing. Dark energy exploded around the boy and the bullets bounced away before they struck him off an invisible shield. The woman simply dropped her handguns and rushed forward stabbing at him with the large blade set into the front of her rocket launcher. He shifted aside and put his fist in between her elbows.

The woman rolled with it and spun around firing again with the sub machine gun. She gasped as a foot crashed into her jaw. Ichigo frowned at her. "Knock it off would you?"

"Not a chance," she responded as she fired at them both at the same time, dual wielding two of the small machine guns.

Akuma just became a blur of motion, and Ichigo put up his arm. The mirror on his forearm expanded and the small metal projectiles bounced away.

Lady stopped shooting and chuckled as she flipped into the air as Akuma lunged at her from behind. "See ya."

Akuma looked at the ground as he staggered to a stop. "Crap." A hand grenade was sitting under his chest and it exploded as soon as the words left his mouth.

Ichigo put up his arms and watched as the woman glanced over her shoulder at him and narrowed her eyes as she jumped away. "What the hell?"

"How annoying," Akuma was smoking a little and looked dazed.

Ichigo scowled at him and punched him across his jaw. "You asshole! How dare you get in my way like that! You let them take Rukia, and I won't forgive you!"

His brother flopped onto his back and frowned up at him. "Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes. "There was no way you were going to beat a Captain class Shinigami you dork. Not even on this plane. Just shut the hell up, you'd have just gotten killed and you wouldn't be able to help her now anyway. I saved your ass and gave you the chance to do it later. How many times do I have to say it before it sticks in that tiny thing bouncing around inside your skull?"

"What? What are you talking about?" growled Ichigo as he looked about ready to jump on him and start pounding.

Akuma sat up and reached behind his back. He tossed his brother his shotgun and scratched the back of his head. "You need training before you can take that guy. That was Kuchiki Byakuya. He's a Shinigami Captain, and has quite a reputation. If you think you're anywhere near him, even as you are now, you're delusional."

The blond narrowed his eyes at him. "And you are?"

"If I were to face him outside if this plane, I'm not sure I could beat him, even as I am now," he replied. "I had an advantage, because higher ranking Shinigami seal their powers as to not disrupt the balance on this plane when they come here. Without the seal, any people he got too close to would just fall over dead from the pressure of his spiritual presence. What you faced, was just a small fraction of the power those two Shinigami can use. Don't be a fool." His brother scowled at him and had a dark look in his eyes.

That caught Ichigo by surprise and he staggered back and balled up his fist. "I will save Rukia."

Akuma seemed to calm and smiled at him. "That's your business. I suppose I should help seeing as we're family and all. First, you have to become far stronger, and use the power you so clumsily throw about as you are now. Second, you've got to find a way to get to Soul Society, and finally, you must find help. Even the two of us wouldn't be strong enough to barge into that place and just start fighting them. We would be overpowered, overwhelmed, and destroyed before you saved anyone."

His brother seemed to consider that. "You'll help me then."

"That was my intention from the start. I just needed those two to get rid of that damn sword, and I couldn't help you and Rulama both. If I had tried to get her away from them, they would have destroyed you. I can't allow that." The white haired boy turned away from him.

"Why?" said the blond. He was suspicious.

Akuma smirked at him over his shoulder. "I have reached a plateau. I need you to reach a higher level of power. It is the way of our kind, but you are too weak to help me with that yet. That will come in time, but for now, I can do little but make you stronger. I will help you, because it will benefit me. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"It explains a bit," replied Ichigo as he gave a nod. "But not everything."

His brother chuckled. "Yes. Well, you can't expect me to lay everything out for you. Especially not with so many eyes and ears on us. Isn't that right, Urahara?"

Ichigo gasped and turned to see the man in the sandal hat looking over at them. He was holding Uryuu up and seemed calm and cheerful.

"I suppose I can understand that. I must admit, you've got me wondering myself," replied the man in the sandal hat.

"Uryuu!" cried Ichigo as he looked over at his classmate and moved towards him.

"I'm fine," snapped the irate looking boy. "Just look at the mess you've made." He was holding his belly and frowning as he leaned against the shop keeper's shoulder.

"Me? It was that crazy Lady with the guns!" he snapped. "What the hell was with her anyway?"

"She's a demon hunter," replied Akuma. "An obstinate one at that."

Uryuu looked up at him and his face hardened a little. He'd seen more of what had happened than Ichigo had. The blond had been knocked out, and missed his brother's transformation. "What do you intend to do then?" He was having trouble admitting it to himself, but that transformation had more to do with his condition than his wounds did. The stranger had shielded him from it a bit, and had tended to his wound while the Devil Hunter distracted the pair.

Ichigo spoke up in a firm and confident tone. "I'm going to find a way to save Rukia."

Akuma gave a small sigh. "I suppose I shall assist him. It's an outside route to what I want, but it will serve my purpose."

Urahara nodded. "I can help with that."

The white haired boy turned away. "I'll deal with it. You can play with his friends if you want. They could all do with a bit of training."

The shopkeeper shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I can get you to Soul Society, but it's going to take time to set up."

Akuma looked down at the cat sitting in the corner and frowned at it. "I see. Very well. How much time do we have?" He looked as if he was asking the cat and not Urahara.

The animal shifted it's eyes away from him and turned up it's nose.

The sandal hat man answered. "There's a grace period of one month for the maximum penalty. We should assume that. It will take at least seven days to open the gate, but you'll be needing more time to train than that. If as you said, you wish me to train his friends to assist you...then it will be at least ten days. So, we'll say fourteen days from now I will open the gate and send you through. How does that sound to you?"

Ichigo looked frustrated and nodded. "I'll be there."

Uryuu glared at him. His wound had been treated and he was still weak. "Very well, I'm not strong enough to be any help right now. I shall train as well." He pushed off the man supporting him and adjusted his glasses. "You're the only one who can save Rukia."

The blond looked surprised. "Uryuu..."

"Shut up! We're not friends! I will become stronger, and show the true strength of the Quincy to these Shinigami!" The boy balled up his fist and started to turn away.

Akuma looked on with his creepy grin and chuckled a little. "Ichigo, one more thing."

"Huh?" he said as he looked at his brother in confusion.

"You must renounce the power of the Shinigami forever if you are to forge this path. You are not a Shinigami anymore, but an Akkijin. You must understand, that if you choose this path, you will never become a Shinigami again. That door will closed to you, forever."

Ichigo scowled at that and nodded. "It doesn't matter. That sword was destroyed anyway. I've got no choice in the matter."

Akuma turned away. "Good. Come on then." He turned and glanced at the cat and nodded his head as he smirked at her. "Good evening to you as well."

She watched him walk by and flattened her ears as she growled a little.

Ishida looked on and hung his head a little. "I see. I shall see you in fourteen days then. It seems I have training of my own to see to."

Urahara opened his umbrella as it began to rain lightly. He gave a small sigh as the cat scampered over to under the dry area the umbrella provided. "What a pain."

The animal nodded. "So it would seem. I really don't trust that guy. He reminds me of someone."

The shopkeeper smiled and looked down at her. "You noticed that as well? Oh well, it may work to our advantage this way. As he suggested, even the two of them will not be enough. It would be best to try and recruit his friends and make them as strong as possible."

Yoruichi sighed. "I hate to admit that you're right. We can't do nothing, and we have the greatest chance of success with as much help as we can get. I don't trust the white haired one to be of much assistance. He's got his own angle here, and I doubt he cares. Ichigo seems like he might be useful, but I'm not so sure I trust him either. He's of the same type after all."

"I'm starting to wonder," replied Urahara as he covered his face with his fan. "He's an odd one, and he's definitely up to something. We'll have to keep a close eye on him."

The cat glanced back as they walked together. "I agree. I'm not so sure I want him anywhere near this. I'm really not sure which one you mean."

As soon as the street cleared, two small figures walked out of an alleyway into the light rain. The taller of the pair looked up at the sky and adjusted her ball cap. "Great. Rain."

Her twin sister smiled at her. "Well, that was...weird."

Karin gave a small sigh. "They kidnapped that girl." She looked frustrated. "Maybe we could have helped?"

"No way. They were way too strong," said Yuzu as she put her fists over her mouth and got wide eyed. "We shouldn't have been here to begin with."

Her sister nodded. "Yeah. I guess. Still, a talking cat, some crazy lady with guns, and those two guys with swords. What the hell was that thing Akuma turned into anyway?" She was still having trouble taking it all in.

"We change too," replied Yuzu.

Karin pouted a bit. "Yeah. I know. Come on, we should get home before we get soaked." As soon as the words left her mouth the rain lightened. It was still sprinkling a little, but hardly worth noting. "Well, I guess it's not that much of a hurry. We should go back and try to get some sleep though."

"That was pretty exciting, and a little scary," said Yuzu with a little too much cheer. The pair started walking together back towards the clinic.

Her sister nodded. "I guess. Ichigo said he's going to help that girl, and Akuma said he'd help him. I guess there's not much we can do."

The brunette smiled. "We'll get stronger. We've just got to put some effort into it!" she pointed her finger into the air and giggled.

Karin looked a bit skeptical but grinned and nodded anyway. "I guess you're right. Come on. We don't want to get caught."

OooOOooOO

A short time later they were moving through the darkened streets of Karakura town. There were street lights giving spots of light, but it was sporadic and left the town with an empty feeling. The raven haired girl shuddered as she rubbed her arms. It wasn't a great neighborhood, but hardly a slum. "Maybe we should have taken another route?" They would make it they way they were going, but didn't want to run into Ichigo or Akuma on the way and avoided a more direct route.

"Huh? It's not so bad. Are you scared?" teased Yuzu.

"Not really...it just...feels..." She paused and looked up.

A large heavyset man was looking down at them in the middle of the road. "Well, what are you kids doing out here so late?" He gave them a warm smile and leaned down. He had a matted comb over and a worn looking pair of glasses on his face. He looked a bit dirty, but not like he was living on the street, just unkempt.

Karin took a step back. "None of your business. Get out of the way." He seemed cheerful and friendly, but was giving her a bad vibe.

Yuzu frowned at him as well. "We're going home. We don't need any help, we're not very far away."

"Well, I couldn't just leave two such young girls alone in the middle of the night like this. It's dangerous. Very fortunate I happened across you two." He fumbled with a small umbrella that looked like it had been recently used. "I'll walk with you. Make sure you go to the right place."

"We're fine on our own," insisted Karin as she pushed Yuzu by her shoulders away from the man.

"No. I insist, can't have you all alone out here," he said as he stayed with them. He fumbled into his pocket. "Here, have a sweet, it will calm you down."

The brunette girl got an odd grin on her face as she took one. "All right." She looked at her sister, her irises turned into slits. "Let's let him. He looks nice enough..."

Karin let her go as she popped the candy into her mouth and moved up to the man's side.

"Yes. That's a good girl. Don't worry, I won't tell on you." He said as he smiled at her. "You?" He held his hand out, the sweets looked rather old, and there were pieces of lint in with them.

"N...no thanks," said the girl as she kept her eyes away from him. Her heart was racing, and her vision was blurred around the edges a little. She felt something creeping up into her cheeks, a burning as if she was blushing. "I'm fine." She struggled to push it down and calm it, and managed to do so only a little.

"Yes, we'll be just fine," replied Yuzu as she moved along side him. Karin hung back a bit, and walked with them despite how she was feeling.

"Where are you going?" asked the man as he looked down at the brunette, taking a glance over his shoulder to see if the dark haired girl was still with them.

"The Kurosaki clinic," replied the cheerful girl. She gave a small yawn.

"Oh! This is the long way there. I know a shortcut up ahead," said the man. His hair was matted down and he was starting to bald a little. "It's just through here."

Karin hung her head and noticed the alley he was pointing to. "Yeah. I bet you do."

About half way through the alley, Yuzu collapsed and slumped to the ground. "Huh? Oh my!" said the large man as he fell to his knees beside her. "Well, I wasn't expecting it to happen so fast." He turned and looked up at Karin.

The girl backed against the brick wall as he stood to loom over her. She looked angry. "What? What did you do to my sister?!"

He chuckled. "She's only sleeping. Don't worry." He shoved her shoulders back and put his weight into it to pin her against the wall. "You're very pretty. I knew when I saw you...it was fate. You were drawn to me."

She looked over his arms at where her sister was lying. She was breathing, but not moving.

The man smiled as he grabbed her face and brushed her cheek with his fingers. "So sweet. You should have had a piece too. My special candy, just for sweet little girls. I never imagined I would be so lucky!"

"Lucky?" she growled as she shuddered.

He reached down keeping her pinned to the wall and rubbed on her chest. "Such a fine girl. I'll put you in my special place. We'll have lots of fun. Just relax, and you might enjoy it." He reached up and forced her head up and into his lips. The girl struggled to keep his tongue out of her mouth, gritting her teeth to force it out. It was revolting having him lick between her lips, but that's as far as he got.

He frowned as he pulled his head back. "Now, now. It's no use struggling. It's too late, you can scream all you want and no one will hear you here. This whole block is abandoned. You're not the first you see. I chose this place carefully. I never expected to be so lucky this evening, very fortunate."

Karin wasn't fighting back, but didn't seem pleased with what he was doing either. "You idiot. You just don't get it do you?"

"Huh?" said the man in confusion.

"We let you bring us here, didn't we Yuzu?" She gave him a dark smirk.

"She can't answ..."

"That's right, sis. I've been wanting to try ever since I found out. Maybe coming out tonight wasn't such a bad idea?" The other girl's voice spoke up from behind him. She gave a yawn. "I'm a little tired now though."

"You wanted?" said the man as a grin formed on his face. "Very fortunate, very, very..." He seemed ecstatic.

"Not really. You see, I'm pretty hungry." Karin hissed at him.

His eyes darted back, there was something different about her. She grabbed his arm and snapped her mouth over the meat of his palm. The man gasped as his eyes went wide "What? What is this?" Her fangs sunk deep into the flesh of his hand and it stung with a burning pain. A strange unpleasant warmth began to spread up his arm.

Yuzu rubbed at the back of his neck as he fell onto his knees and slumped onto his rear. The one behind him was keeping his body upright as she leaned into his back and rubbed on his neck. His eyes were wide with horror. "What...what is this?" He couldn't move, a numbness had spread through is arms, but it didn't dull the pain of the girl's bite. Despite the fact that he was paralyzed and couldn't move, he could feel them both touching him, rubbing on his neck and arm as they eyed him in a manner that was making him a little nervous.

The violet skinned thing released his hand, her tail lashing behind her and blood seeping from her lips. "I think there's enough for us to share this time."

"Yeah, he's a big one," replied Yuzu with a giggle from behind him. "More than enough for both of us."

"What is this?" stammered the man in horror, unable to move or run. "I.."

Karin grabbed his face and rubbed on his cheek with her finger as he did with her. "I never imagined we'd be so lucky." Her heart was pounding, her vision tinted with crimson haze as she neared him. She could hear the sound of his heartbeat, see the vein bulging inside of his skin on his throat and in his arm as the venom coursing through him brought them up. The sound of the blood rushing through his veins filled her senses, and the scent of the coppery fluid from his wound filled her nostrils. She couldn't resist, didn't want too, it was so good, so powerful, so delicious.

The twins pushed him onto his back and crawled onto his chest, digging their faces into the sides of his neck. He gasped and worked his mouth, trying to scream, but no sound came. He just looked up at the sky as the rain started to fall again, creating spots and splashes on his unblinking eyes. He felt the life draining from his body, more than just blood, something more powerful than that. It was ripped apart and split between them, the energy of his life force within him. "N...no. Not like this...it can't...I'm sorry...forgive me. I couldn't help it, they were just...so sweet, so innocent...beautiful. I couldn't resist..."

Karin lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Do we really look so innocent to you?" She had a sexy looking smirk on her face as she said it.

"It's really good," said Yuzu as she looked up at her sister.

"Yeah, it is," agreed Karin as she dipped her head down for more. It was flowing down his neck and covering his body. He was gasping, and his breath was becoming shallow.

The two girls backed off, Karin rubbing her arm across her face. "That was good." The body of the man before them was still.

Yuzu was standing next to her and giggled. "Yeah. Look, is that him?"

The dark haired succubus nodded and scowled a little. He was standing before them again, a chain from the now still body stretching into his chest.

Yuzu looked at the body. "I don't feel done yet."

The man's face was pitted, his cheeks shallow, and his eyes darkened. "You...you killed me." He bared his teeth at them. "You killed me!"

Yuzu smiled. "I feel something..."

Karin glared at the spirit and nodded. "Yeah. I feel it too. It's like I'm still hungry, but not for blood. I'm satisfied with that."

"I'll kill you! You little bitches! You killed me!" snarled the dead man.

Yuzu slashed with her claws and the chain on his chest broke. He staggered back and hit the wall, slumping down against it without passing through.

The angry spirit snarled at them both. "I'll haunt you for eternity! I'll kill you both, when you die, I'll make you both suffer for this forever!" He howled in rage, his skin seeming to grow paler and flake off as he became more horrific looking and rotted in appearance.

"We get to have this part too, don't we?" said Yuzu. "He looks ripe."

Karin glared at him like a hungry animal. "A bad soul. He's to be punished."

"What?" muttered the enraged spirit as he seemed to realize something was amiss. "What...what are you doing? Why are you looking at me that way?"

"Because they're demons," replied a voice both girl's recognized. "Go ahead and finish him up. We get to keep the rotten ones if we want. Enjoy him."

The two girls didn't look back to face the newcomer. They stalked towards the cowering spirit and leaped onto him with their claws extended and their fangs bared. He howled in pain and terror as they tore into him, ripping his body apart and chewing on the spiritual flesh that made up his dead form. All the while, his pale drained body simply looked up at the sky with a blank and terrified expression. The wounds the two girls had given him were gone, and aside from being covered in his own blood he looked as if he'd just died of natural causes.

OooOOooOO

Karin sat up in bed with wide eyes and gasped. She clutched at her chest and hyperventilated as she struggled to get her bearings and looked about the room.

Yuzu yawned and stretched her arms next to her and smiled. "Good morning," she said with a cheerful smile.

Karin closed her eyes and controlled her breath. "Y...yeah."

Her sister frowned a bit. "Are you all right?"

The dark haired girl rubbed at her eyes. "I'm fine, just a weird dream."

Yuzu cocked her head and furrowed her brow. "Huh? What kind of dream?"

"It's nothing, just...a little disturbing. I think...I was burning my clothes after I... I don't really want to talk about it." She shook her head and closed her eyes as she flopped down in bed putting her arm across her forehead. "It was really weird, and a bit disturbing."

"Oh. Well, we didn't have much choice. It was too much blood and I wouldn't have been able to wash it all out. We're going to have to be more mindful about making a mess of ourselves next time. I was our first time and we got a little messy. We shouldn't back off until we're done next time. His heart was still beating and we got splattered when we let go before he died."

Karin's eyes snapped open and she sat up. "Wait. What?"

Yuzu smiled at her. "Akuma helped us out last night. He found us after we killed that guy. We burned our clothes because they were covered in blood and he brought us home. I was afraid he'd get a little mad because we followed them, but I think he only said that stuff to goad you into going out. He brought us a change of clothes and helped us sneak back into our room."

The dark haired girl made a choking sound and gripped her sheets. "That...wasn't a dream?"

"No way. He was right, it was the best thing I ever tasted. That bad soul wasn't too bad either. It was almost as good as the blood, but not quite. Akuma said if we kill bad people we can tell if we get to have the spirit or not by instinct. If they're going to Hell anyway, we can eat both." Yuzu gave her a warm smile and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Shit!" muttered Karin as she looked confused and afraid. "What...what did we do last night?"

"I think it was good for us," replied Yuzu. "I had a lot of fun, it was better because we did it together. We're sisters and all."

Karin looked up at her and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Yuzu! We killed that guy! Then we...oh, God!" She clutched at her head. "What did we do?"

"We fed," replied the brunette girl simply. "Relax. We're supposed too."

The other girl looked at her with wide eyes. "S...supposed too?" She looked confused and in shock. Tears started to fall down her cheeks. They were tinted reddish brown but not entirely bloody either.

Yuzu nodded and dabbed at her sister's cheeks with a handkerchief. "Hey. It's all right. Think about it, it was really good wasn't it? I thought ice cream was my favorite, but no way can it beat that."

Karin shuddered as her mind was forced to remember. "Y-yeah. It was good...too good." Disturbingly so in fact. It was as if it was so good that she'd lost herself. She couldn't control what she'd done once it had kicked in at full strength.

"You didn't have to follow me you know, I could have done it on my own." Yuzu turned her eyes away from her.

Karin sniffed. "I'm fine. I just...I wanted to go too."

Her sister smiled. "See. It's not so bad, right?"

The dark haired girl nodded. "I just...got a little scared. It's like it took me over."

Yuzu cocked her head. "It didn't really though did it?"

Her sister shook her head. "No. I let it happen." She could have resisted and she knew it. She just didn't want to leave Yuzu alone, but deep down, she knew it wasn't because she feared for her safety either. She didn't want her sister to have him all to herself. "I was...so hungry."

The brunette girl nodded. "I know. We'll be fine for a while now though. I'm looking forward to the next time."

Karin wasn't so sure of that, but she knew damn well that she was going to do it again. "I guess. I'm not sure I liked it all that much. It was kind of...I dunno..." It was great, she'd felt so powerful, intoxicated, satisfied. "I'll get over it. It's just a little weird I guess. I'm...fine...really."

"All right. I've got to go start breakfast. It's the first day of summer vacation."

Karin nodded and flopped down on her mattress. "Yeah. That's good." She was glad she didn't have school or anything. What had happened to her was going to distract her for a while and she'd have had difficulty studying because of it.

OooOOooOO

"Sorry, I can't go," said Ichigo. "Turns out I've got a family obligation."

Keigo blinked, covered in beach supplies. "Huh?" Naturally, he overreacted. "What do you mean? You're the only one who said they would come!"

The blond scratched his ear. "Actually, I said I'd ask and see. I can't make it though, sorry."

"What? What happened?" cried the brunette as he hung his head. It was so overblown it was a bit comical.

Ichigo looked up towards the sky and put his hands in his pockets. "My brother and I are going to run off into the woods together and beat the shit out of each other. It's one of those family bonding things and all."

"That's, well, partially accurate. I'll be beating the shit out of him, but he doesn't like to put it that way. We're training in the family style, it's an obligation," said Akuma as he appeared behind his brother. "Sorry if it spoils your plans, but it's something of a family tradition. A coming of age thing and all. Karin and Yuzu will do it when they're old enough too."

"Huh? That's crazy!" snapped Keigo. "What kind of vacation is that anyway? You're not in the karate club or anything!"

Ichigo shrugged and looked like he felt a little bad. "Sorry Keigo, I can't make it this year."

He gave a heavy sigh and hung his head. "All right. Fine! Be that way!" He rushed off crying into his arm.

The blond looked on as this happened. "I might feel a bit worse about it if he didn't do that all the time."

Akuma slapped his shoulder and turned back into the home. "Well, I'll see you later then. Take the day off and hang around with your friends. I've still got to talk to beardo about all this."

"You haven't asked Dad yet?" muttered his twin.

"Nah. I won't have any trouble though. You know him." He walked off and left him in the doorway. "All I'll have to do is say something about 'manly bonding' and he'll stop listening and let us do what we want."

OooOOooOO

Orihime sat and listened as Ichigo related the story. "Then this crazy chick showed up and started shooting at us, and there was a talking cat. It was really weird." She had asked about Rukia and told him of what she had seen in the past few months. "You actually beat one of those things?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. I was a bit afraid, but I thought of you. Still, isn't her friends and family at home? Are you sure you're doing the right thing here? I mean, what happens when they come back for her again?"

"Hopefully, I'll be strong enough to kick their butts and drive them off," responded the boy as he clenched his fist and glared at it. "I can't let them kill her for helping me. That wouldn't be right, and I'd never be able to live with it."

Orihime gasped and looked over at him. His expression was hard and serious, more than the gentle scowl she was familiar with. He was different somehow, and there was a hunger in his eyes. "Are you all right? I've never seen you with such a look."

He blinked as his face went back to normal and looked at her. "I'm fine. Just a bit frustrated I guess. I dunno, I want to get stronger, so I can protect my friends."

She nodded and seemed to relax. He'd changed a little since his brother had shown up, but not that much. "I see. Well, I won't try and stop you. You'll just scrunch your chin up and furrow your eyebrows, and say 'She'll be able to see her family again as long as she's alive. She'll never see them again if she's dead'. That's the Kurosaki I know."

"I see. I was wondering where that girl had gone. She's usually with you."

They both tensed up and turned. Don Kanoji was leaning against the wall in a cool pose and looking off into the distance.

"How...how long have you been there?" snapped Ichigo.

"I came to see my number one student, only to learn that his first class partner has fallen into danger in the clutches of spirits most foul!" The man balled up his fist and cried manly tears of bitterness. "Fear not, for I shall assist you!"

"No thanks. I've got it covered. I've got some training to see to, and it'll be a couple of weeks before I can get there anyway," said Ichigo as he turned his head away and crossed his arms.

"Wow. You're a very good friend Mr. Kanoji," chirped Orihime as she smiled at him.

"Why thank you, my dear. You are a friend of my number one student?" The man seemed pleased to meet her, yet tried to keep his serious tone.

"Yes. I'm Inoue Orihime. Kurosaki is a very good friend of mine." She blushed and got a rather flustered smile.

"Stop calling me that," grumbled Ichigo as he frowned at the man.

"Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just ask!" said the girl as she smiled at him in a warm manner. "Kuchiki is my friend too, and I don't want her to die either."

"Indeed, the girl was an ally to me as well. I cannot turn my back on such a sad tale!" Don Kanoji seemed to steel himself.

Ichigo stood up and started jogging away. "Thanks. I'll do my best."

"Wait!" said the medium as he started after him.

"Huh? Sado?" said Orihime as a large shadow loomed over the pair.

Kanoji turned around and noticed a very large boy standing over them. He shrank back a little in surprise, but calmed and smiled at him. "Oh. Hello there. My, you're quite a large boy."

Chad nodded. "Yes. I know."

"What brings you?" said the girl cheerfully.

"I did." A black cat walked up and sat down in front of Sado. "My name is Yoruichi."

The redhead bent down and peered at it. "Oh! It's nice to meet you. I'm Inoue Orihime, are you a friend of Sado?"

Don Kanoji was surprised once again, but seemed to take it in stride. "How unusual."

"Have you considered what Urahara told you?" asked the animal.

Orihime nodded. "Yes. I'll do my best." She looked serious for a moment.

The cat nodded. "Very well. I have come with an offer. I am willing to instruct you to use your power. My training is difficult and strict. Will you accept?"

The girl gave a firm nod. "Of course. Kuchiki is my friend as well."

Chad gave a serious looking nod. "I must keep my word. Ichigo has always kept his, and I cannot turn away from him now."

Don Kanoji crossed his arms. "What's this? Training?"

The cat looked up at him and back to the two teens. "You know him?"

Orihime smiled and nodded. "Yes. He's famous."

"I am familiar with him as well, though I have not met him," said Sado with a small shrug.

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes at him. "You have some spiritual power. Are you a friend of Ichigo?"

The man nodded. "Yes. I also know of the girl Rukia. I have assisted them both in the past."

The cat nodded. "Very well. I suppose there's no harm in one more. Are you aware of what's going on?"

The man adjusted his sunglasses. "I was just informed. I shall offer any assistance I can of course. Difficulty and hardship is nothing to a true man who believes in himself and his friends!"

Yoruichi tilted her ears back a little. The man was irritatingly over dramatic, but didn't seem to be a bad sort of person. "Very well, I'll allow you to come along as well. I see you have a little more of a handle on your power than these two, but not much more."

"I have trained many years, and faced many dark spirits in my time. I am the charismatic spirit medium Don Kanoji! Perhaps you have heard of me?" He puffed out his chest a bit.

"Nope. Doesn't ring any bells," responded the cat as she started walking away. "Come along. We'll get started. It's going to be a long and arduous two weeks before the gate to Soul Society is ready. We've got a lot of work to do."

The four of them wandered off towards the shop. Kanoji crossed his arms and hung back a little. "Hmmm I've a feeling this may be my greatest case yet! I shall give it my all, and do my best!"

Yoruichi looked back at the other two. "Is he always like this?"

They both shrugged at her and Orihime spoke up. "We don't really know him that well. He's usually like this on television though."

"Television?" muttered the cat as her eyes went a little wide. "That box with pictures in it?"

Sado nodded. "Yes, that's right."

The animal didn't seem to think on it much. "Oh. Well, I don't pay much attention to those things. It seems kind of boring anyway."

OooOOooOO

Ichigo ran down the street and slid to a stop as he heard someone call his name. "Huh?"

"Hey, Ichigo," called the somewhat roughish female voice.

"Tatsuki?" said the boy as he noticed her standing nearby. She had her dogi rolled up and swung over her shoulder.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" she walked up and smiled at him.

"Not much. I was hanging around with Orihime for a bit and was just headed home." He replied as he put his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "What about you?"

She tugged on the belt she as using to hold her clothes behind her. "I was at the dojo. Gotta keep in practice if I want to do well at the tournament this summer. It's only a few days away."

The blond nodded and scratched his head. "Oh. Good luck then."

She smiled and nodded. "Thanks. I've got a lot of work to do. I'm gonna be the champion for sure this year."

"Yeah. I'm off to do some training myself this summer it seems," he said as he looked away.

"Oh. Really?" she seemed interested. "Thinking of joining the Karate Club or something? They've been begging you for ages."

He scowled at her. "Of course not. I want to kick my brother's ass."

She blinked at that. "Oh. I see." It seemed to amuse her a little. "He is kind of a jerk, but I guess he's not all bad."

That surprised him and he rubbed at his skull a little. "Huh? Are you kidding? He's a total asshole. I thought you hated him?"

She shrugged. "I guess. I don't like him or anything, but he's not as bad as when we were little. I still wouldn't mind kicking that smug grin of his out the back of his throat."

There was a roar like the sound of a heavy engine from nearby. Tatsuki blinked and turned her head. "What was that?"

"Probably some jerk on a motorcycle," grumbled Ichigo. It revved up a few times nearby, but neither one of them could see it. "Anyway, I'll catch you later."

Tatsuki gasped and pushed him aside as a shadow formed overhead. "Look out!"

Ichigo ended up on the ground on his back and seemed confused. "What the hell?" A huge hunk of metal had landed where he had been standing and slid around to throw off some momentum. He crossed his eyes as he looked down the barrel of a handgun. "Crap. Not again."

Lady smirked at him and pulled the trigger. His head snapped back and hit the pavement.

"Ichigo!" cried Tatsuki in shock.

Lady flipped off the bike and kicked at him in the same fluid motion. He rolled back over his shoulders as her foot landed where his crotch was and cracked the pavement. He narrowed his eyes as he crouched and looked at it. "Hey. Watch it. That's not cool."

She didn't say anything and pointed twin handguns at the boy. Her arms snapped up as a blur of motion slammed into her forearms from underneath and bent over as a young short haired girl planted her fist into her gut. "You bitch! What do you think you're doing?"

"Tatsuki! No!" cried Ichigo as he got to his feet.

Lady frowned at her and tried to backhand her, but found the strike blocked. "Stay out of this. It's none of your business."

"The hell it's not! You're trying to shoot my friend!" The younger girl spun around and hooked her foot at the woman's face.

Lady dipped back and tried to sweep her, only to find the girl hopping over her foot. She moved to level her arms and aim the weapons, but both firearms clattered across the asphalt as Tatsuki used a twin open palmed strike to her wrists to disarm her before trying to put her knee into her jaw. "Not bad kid," said the woman.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" snapped the angry girl.

Lady chuckled at that and bumped into her side with her hip. Tatsuki was staggered for a moment and leaned back to try to catch her balance. The older woman tried to punch her in the face and drive her down into the pavement with a downward curving punch.

Tatsuki caught her arm with one of her palms in her fist before it hit and kicked both her legs, flipping over the arm and trying to lock it. The woman mirrored her maneuver and they ended up in the same position. The girl didn't miss a beat and kicked at her shin causing the woman to shift forward and attempted to shove her palm up into her chin with a scream.

Lady managed to crane her neck out of the way and hooked her arm across her chest bending the girl backwards across her knee. She then jabbed her elbow down at her abdomen. The girl took the strike and bent into it, punching the woman across the jaw and sending her staggering back. "I don't have time for this," muttered the frustrated woman.

"Tough!" snapped Tatsuki. She pressed her attack and kicked at her belly.

The woman took the shot and caught her leg. Tatsuki flipped back and tried for her chin, managing to free her leg but missed the strike.

Ichigo growled as the pair became a flurry of punches and kicks, each holding the other off admirably. The woman was larger and more powerful. Tatsuki took a few shots, but didn't back down. "I won't lose!" they cried in unison. He couldn't see an opportunity to jump in without disrupting Tatsuki and tensed up.

The girl jumped into the air and hooked a fast spinning kick at her opponent's temple, it missed, but her other leg lashed out at the apex and nailed her in the forehead. She landed and looked up before freezing in place.

The woman had a handgun pointed at her that she had pulled from behind her back at the same time as she'd been kicked. "Back off kid, and get out of the way."

"Don't try it," said Ichigo.

Lady froze and gasped. One of her lost weapons was pressed against her temple. "Damn."

"Hands up," said Ichigo.

She did so and frowned. "Well, you've got me. Now what?"

"Who the hell are you?" growled Tatsuki.

She smirked. "The name is Lady. I'm a devil hunter." She glanced over at Ichigo. "Aren't you going to shoot me? I wasn't expecting your little human friend to be so strong. What is she, your slave?"

He scowled and lowered the weapon before punching her dead in the face. "Leave me alone. I've got enough problems."

Lady ended up staggering back on top of her bike and almost toppled it over as she backed into it. It was a huge machine with what looked like jet thrusters on the back end of it. She scowled and pulled a shotgun off the side of it before pointing it at the boy's head.

"Stop!" snapped Tatsuki angrily as she shoved the boy out of the way before she fired. "Are you crazy? Guns are illegal! You'll be arrested!"

The woman cocked her head and rested the weapon on her shoulder. "Not likely. You could have been killed."

"I'll kick your ass!" snapped the girl as she tried to move forward.

"Stop it, she'll kill you," muttered Ichigo as he grabbed her shoulders to hold her back. "What the hell is your problem anyway? I was digging metal out of myself for an hour last night because of you."

"I can sense it," she replied. "Your darkness."

He scowled at her. "Leave my friends out of this. If you want to fight me, fine. You hurt her and I'll kill you."

Lady gasped and looked him in the eye. He was giving her a firm scowl and put himself between her and the girl. She seemed to relax and put the shotgun back on the bike. "Give me back my sidearm."

He looked at the weapon in his hand and tossed it back. She caught it and holstered it before walking over to retrieve the other. Both of the teens looked on as she looked it over before putting it away. "What's your name kid?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he responded.

"Huh. How about you?" she looked at the girl.

"Why should I tell you anything?" snapped Tatsuki. "You just tried to shoot us!"

The boy looked at her. "She did shoot me."

"It was just him." She narrowed her eyes at the boy. "You're part human, aren't you?"

"Whats it to you?" he said with a frown. He had relaxed a bit as she seemed to have calmed down.

"You're not the first one of your kind I've met," replied the woman. "One of them was a real asshole, the other...well, he was a lazy bum, but not a bad guy. I guess." She put on a pair of shades. "He still owes me a bit of money, but he's not around anymore, so I can't collect. Kind of a pain."

Tatsuki scowled at her and crossed her arms. "Bitch."

Lady smirked at her. "You're not bad kid. A little rough around the edges, but you've got skill, and quite a bit of spirit. Maybe I'll see you around."

The short haired girl turned her face away from her. "Yeah. Whatever. You try that again and I'll beat the shit out of you."

The woman chuckled as she started her bike. "I like you." She looked at the boy. "I'll be watching you. I'm not sure if I should let you live or not, but I'll back off for now and see how things go." The engine on her bike roared to life and she drove away.

"What the hell was that about anyway?" grumbled Ichigo.

Tatsuki gave a small sigh. "That was so weird. First she tries to shoot me, and all of a sudden she likes me?"

"Crazy bitch," muttered her friend. "That's not the first time she's tried that with me. Last time she tried to blow me up with a rocket launcher too."

Tatsuki looked at him with wide eyes. "You know, I don't even want to know."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you later I guess."

The girl nodded and started in the other direction. It hadn't escaped her notice that Ichigo had just gotten shot in the face and was no more hurt than if he'd been punched. "I guess...he wasn't lying." Not that she thought he was to begin with after what she'd seen. Still, it only confirmed it more. Ichigo wasn't human, she didn't know what he was exactly, but he wasn't a normal boy. Not that he ever was to begin with. "What the hell?" She'd known him since he was little, but now she was left wondering what she knew about him.

After a couple of blocks she paused. "Hey."

Her head snapped around and she glared at Lady. The woman was leaning against her bike with her arms crossed in front of a small cafe. "What are you still doing here? Aren't you afraid of getting arrested?"

"The police won't bother me. I want to talk to you," responded the woman.

"Why the hell should I care? What do you want anyway? You almost killed me back there." The girl was upset with her and backed away a little.

Lady smirked and shook her head. "No, just him. I don't kill humans. Well, not if I can help it anyway."

"Like that's any different," snapped the girl. "I don't want to talk to you. Leave me alone."

"I want you to tell me about that boy," said Lady as she ignored her. "How well do you know him? Are you his girlfriend or something?"

"Hell no!" snarled the girl. "Why should I tell you anything?"

Lady took off her shades and looked at her with her heterochromic eyes. "I need to know why you think I shouldn't kill him. It's my job to send things like him back to Hell after all. If I'm going to make an exception, I'll be needing a good reason to leave him alone."

Tatsuki seemed to consider that for a moment. "All right, I'll talk if it will get you to leave him alone."

The woman nodded. "I won't make a promise." She jerked her head. "Come on, I'll buy you tea or something."

The girl looked wary, but walked over to her. "Just don't try anything funny. I can still kick your butt."

Lady smiled at her and winked. "I've no interest in fighting humans. I told you already, I'm a devil hunter."

"How did you get a job like that anyway?" grumbled the girl. "That's kind of strange. You shouldn't go around telling people things like that."

OooOOooOO

It was almost two hours later. Tatsuki was leaning against her cheek and poking at the remains of a melted ice cream with a glass of ice cubes sitting next to her with a straw poked into it. She was enthralled. "So, those other two that you knew..." Lady had just related a story about how she had met two other Akkijin named Dante and Virgil an unnamed number of years before. The story had actually cleared a few things up about Ichigo and her brother for her. It seemed they were pretty normal, if not a bit tame, for what they were.

"Sounds like they're a lot alike," said the woman as she nodded.

Tatsuki nodded and seemed to think about it. "I guess. It sort of sounds that way. I mean, Akuma saved me, and I've known them both since we were all kids. The jerk left about six years ago and just showed back up again recently. Ichigo's always been here as far as I know." She'd already told her about Ichigo and their relationship. He had always been a good friend. She also mentioned how Akuma had saved her life recently, but left out a few of the more embarrassing details about it.

Lady nodded and seemed to think on it. "I guess I'll let things go for now. I'll have to keep an eye on them though. Can't just let something like that wander around without supervision."

Tatsuki flushed a little as she thought about it. "I guess I see what you mean. Ichigo's all right though."

The woman put the glass full of ice against her cheek and smirked at her. "You've got a good punch kid."

"You're pretty strong too," replied Tatsuki. She was still sore in a couple of places, but didn't think on it much. "I've been training since I was little at the dojo up the road."

Lady nodded at that. "I can tell. I didn't start until I was older, but I've got a few years on you. You're not bad for your age though."

"I'll kick your butt any day," grumbled Tatsuki. "I'm gonna be the National Champion this summer. There's a competition in a few days, and I'm gonna win for sure."

The woman smiled at her. "Is that so?" She pulled a card out of her pocket. "Well, if you're interested in putting those skills of your to use in something more profitable than a tournament, give me a call. You're still a little young to be running about with me, but I'll be in the area for a while. Call me up anyway, and I don't mind working with you a bit. I like you kid, you remind me of myself. Maybe when you finish school, I can offer you some interesting work? It's pretty exciting, and if you're good enough, it pays well too."

The girl looked surprised and looked at the card. The woman had just tried to kill her and had given her a good pounding. Now she was offering to help her with her training. On the other hand, she was pretty strong. Tatsuki put the card into her pocket and narrowed her eyes. "I'll think about it."

Lady put enough to pay for them both on the table, stood up, and walked to her bike. Tatsuki sat back and pulled the card out of her pocket to peer at it. She frowned and flicked it with her finger a few times as she stood up and walked out of the small cafe. "It's kind of sad that this isn't the weirdest day of my life." She gave a small sigh and put the card back into her pocket. She was going to stew on it a while, but knew damn well she'd end up calling her. After what had happened to her at school there was no way she was going to turn down an offer from someone who could teach her how to fight something like that off. Something Lady had told her came to mind as she started home.

"Well, Hollows are a little annoying, but demons are even more dangerous. With a little training, a girl like you wouldn't have to worry about those things much. You've got the right qualities after all."

She didn't have to ask what she had meant. She turned her head and noticed two spirits floating by holding hands about six feet off the ground. Ever since that day, she'd been able to see and hear them as if they were living still. It was a bit annoying, but easy enough to ignore.

As it was, she was going to go home and get some sleep. Her mind had all it could take for the day.

OooOOooOO

Uryuu looked around. There was a stream of clean water and a waterfall nearby. He was standing in a small open area, and no there were people for miles around. "This seems like a good spot. No one will bother me out here." It had everything he needed for uninterrupted training. He had a sealed box under his arm and set it down on top of a rock at his feet.

"There he is! Ishida!" called a cheerful and familiar voice.

"Huh?" muttered the boy in shock as he turned and looked at her with wide eyes. She was grinning and waving at him, with Sado standing behind her, as well as the man he'd seen on television as a spirit medium. He was clearly shocked. "What the?"

Within a few minutes they were all sitting together and things had been explained to him. "I see. I noticed that your spiritual power had increased, but had no idea that was the cause." He looked over at Don Kanoji. "Do you intend to teach them? I hate to say it, but..."

The man shook his head and laughed. "No. I can see where you might think that. After all, I've got years of experience fighting against bad spirits. No, I too am but a humble student in this matter."

Ishida was actually a little relieved. That wasn't what he was getting at, but he saw no reason to clear it up. It might do the man some good. He wasn't a bad sort from what he knew, but his spiritual power was actually smaller than either of the other two. "I see. Then who will be your master then?"

Inoue seemed a little embarrassed. "I don't know how to put it, but our master has been standing next to you the whole time."

The Quincy gasped and turned. "No human can be so stealthy! I..."

"Tis I," said the cat.

Uryuu screamed. "What the hell is that thing?"

"It's a cat," replied all three of the others.

"Yes, unusual I know, but this cat is very powerful. It lead us here by following your reiki," said Don Kanoji as he put up his hand as if telling him a secret.

"I know it's a cat! Why does it talk?" snapped Uryuu.

"It's no big deal, Ishida," said Orihime. "It's just a talking cat. Nothing to get excited about."

"Actually, I found it a bit confusing as well," commented Sado.

"The girl is right, there are many things much stranger in the world," said Kanoji as he crossed his arms. He'd found it a bit weird himself at first. The animal seemed to know what it was doing though. He was familiar with the concept of animal mediums as well, though he'd never seen such a thing before personally. Perhaps that woman in Yokohama that said her cat was bilingual and allowed her to speak with dogs was not as crazy as he had thought.

Ishida was a bit embarrassed. "Forgive me for being so crude. I was just a bit surprised."

"That's right you punk. It's just a talking cat," teased Yoruichi.

He swatted at the animal. "Shut up!"

"Listen you unadaptable cretin. If you wish to go to Soul Society and help Kuchiki Rukia..."

The boy stood up. "Thanks for the offer, but I must decline."

Inoue looked a bit disappointed. "She's really good. We wouldn't have found you without her."

He looked at her and adjusted his glasses. "It's not her. I need to do this for myself. I'm not doing this to help Kuchiki. I was defeated by those shinigami, and I cannot accept it. I must become stronger, and I must do it on my own."

"I see," said Don Kanoji as he frowned and looked to understand. "It is your duty as a man then. Not for the sake of another, but for yourself?"

"That's right," said the boy with a nod. "I cannot accept that I lost. I must become stronger."

The medium frowned at him. "I see. I expect that we shall see you when the time comes, so that you might test the strength you will gain with this training then?"

Uryuu gasped and looked at him, after a moment he lowered his eyes and smirked. "Heh. You're more perceptive than I'd thought, Mr. Kanoji. I do not need assistance with my training. I thank you for the offer, but I must refuse."

The cat narrowed it's eyes and sat down. "I see." She glanced up at Don Kanoji. "Very well then. If you wish to come along when your training is finished then fine. We will be meeting at the Urahara shop in thirteen days. If you are not there, we will not wait on you."

Kanoji had already turned away and started walking off. He glanced back over his shoulder and looked very serious. "I do not believe he will leave us waiting."

Orihime gave a gentile smile. "A..all right Ishida. We'll see you then."

Sado just gave a nod and followed after the others.

Uryuu watched them go and crossed his arms. "A strange man." He didn't know what to make of Don Kanoji. He seemed flashy and a bit of an idiot, but also very perceptive. He'd proven himself useful before at the least, despite the fact that he seemed to be in a bit over his head at the time.

He kneeled in front of the box after they had left and unhooked the straps that sealed it shut. "No one can be allowed to witness this training. Master, please...I beg for your instruction."

OooOOooOO

Akuma stood in an open field smiling at his brother. There was a camp set up in the wood nearby, and both brothers had moved out into the open area to train. It was a remote location, near to a small town, but far enough out of the way no one would bother them. "Well, shall we begin?"

Ichigo frowned at his brother. "All right then, what are we doing then?"

The white haired boy opened his eyes and reached out his hand. "First, you're going to give me all of your weapons."

His brother scowled at that. "Huh? What for? How are we supposed to train? What, are we just going to punch each other again?"

Akuma chuckled. "No. Don't be a fool. You won't need any of the weapons you have though. You've got to give them up."

The blond stepped back. "Hey. Wait a second. How am I supposed to fight you without weapons then?"

His twin leveled a glare at him. "You don't have any anyway."

"I've got this sword," replied Ichigo as Kusanagi appeared in his grip. It flew away and landed in the grass.

"No, you don't. You pathetic idiot. That sword is not yours."

"Huh? What do you mean? Of course it's mine," snapped the blond. "I..."

"That power, does not protect you. You can make use of it, but it's more dangerous than you think to rely on it." Akuma walked up and grabbed the necklace from around his neck pulling it off his head in a swift motion. "The mirror as well."

Ichigo handed them over with a reluctant frown. "I don't get it."

"These weapons are Yamata no Orochi's power. They are his weapons. Do you really think that creature does not wish you dead? Do you think it cares to protect you?"

"It's dead," replied Ichigo.

Akuma shook his head. "No. It has accepted it's defeat. It has consigned itself to granting it power to you in the form of these weapons as opposed to being destroyed. If you die, it will return to Hell in it's previous state. Reborn and and free to do as it wishes." He backhanded his brother across his face. "It is not your power. It is nothing but a force that has submitted to your will to save it's own skin. It would gladly see you dead for it's own ends."

Ichigo was spread out across the grass and looked up at his brother with wide eyes. "I..."

"Shut up, the gun as well," replied Akuma. "You won't be needing it either."

His brother sat up and reached into his shirt and pulled it out. "Why not? It's using my power isn't it?"

Akuma swiped his arm and the weapon flew away into the grass. "It's a toy. Why do you question me so? If I wanted you dead, I'd just kill you and be done with it."

"It's been pretty useful, and it's not like it's something else's power, right?" Ichigo looked confused as he glanced in the direction it had gone.

"I told you, it's a toy. Useful yes, but nothing but training wheels. An easy way to focus your power and use it without any real effort. It's time to take the training wheels off Ichigo, and find your true power." Akuma had his sword in his hand and planted it into the ground.

"So what are we doing anyway?" Ichigo looked annoyed and crossed his arms.

"I'm going to attack you, but I'm not going to hold back. We won't be training this way, but...it's time you realized where you stand, Ichigo. It's time for you to see just what it is you're trying to reach." Akuma crossed his arms and stepped in front of his blade. "Now, watch closely, because you're going to need every single moment of this to understand this training, and I'm only going to do it once."

Ichigo scowled and got a firm look on his face. "All right. I'm ready."

Akuma chuckled. "No, you are not." His eyes grew wide and his grin became wild.

His brother gasped and fell to one knee with wide eyes. "Wh-what?" There was something radiating off his brother. It was a dark and powerful presence, he couldn't breathe, couldn't move, and felt numb and helpless before it. "What is this?"

The white haired boy spread his arms and looked up at the sky as the energy increased even more. It doubled easily and his form became distorted and blurred. Ichigo felt his legs become weak and just looked on with wide eyes. He could feel himself wanting to flop down on the ground, but somehow managed to keep himself upright as the demonic figure stepped towards him. It stood before him and spread it's wings, it's claws flexed and it looked him dead in the eyes. In a split second, it vanished from in front of him.

Ichigo wasn't sure what happened next. He couldn't really see it, or feel anything but pain. It felt like he was being hit on every part of his body at once and his vision flashed with black and red.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back looking at the stars. The sun had been up when his brother had attacked him. He sat up and looked around.

Akuma was sitting in front of a fire eating rice with beans. He pointed his chopsticks at the pot next to the fire. "Eat. You'll need it."

Ichigo was covered in bandages and put his hand up to his head. "What? What happened to me? Why am I all bandaged up?" He tried to move and realized what it was. He was injured badly.

The white haired boy chuckled as his brother doubled over in pain. "Relax. It's painful, but I avoided anything vital. You've recovered fast, that's good. I wasn't expecting you to wake up before tomorrow."

"What was that?" asked Ichigo in shock.

"You're a long way away from that. It's called Devil Trigger, a transformation. That's not why we're here. Your little friend would be dead long before you learned that. You don't even know the basics of your power. That's it's peak form, and you don't have time to attain something like that right now. Maybe later on, if you live long enough."

"Why then?" grumbled the injured boy.

"Hmmm. You're going to have to figure that out on your own. I've hidden your weapons. You can have them back when this is finished. You won't need them before then." Akuma continued to eat. "I won't be quite so hard on you next time. The point is to get you to learn something. I suggest you eat and rest up. Think about what you saw, because I'm not going to waste time explaining. Tomorrow, your training starts, and while I won't be doing that again, I'm not going to take it easy on you either."

"That's a big help," replied Ichigo irritably.

His brother gave a snort. "I've no intention of helping you. I'm here to force you to do it on your own."

"Do what? You've disarmed me and now you're telling me you're going to kick my ass tomorrow. What's different about that?"

Akuma smiled at him. "I'll have a sword. Be ready, Ichikun."

"Wait, what?" said Ichigo with wide eyes. "I thought you said no weapons!"

"No. I took away all the weapons you had. I never said anything about me." Akuma smiled and pointed at the pot. "Eat. You'll need all your strength tomorrow. I doubt you'll figure it out for a couple of days at least. I suggest you think about what you saw carefully, otherwise you're going to be in that condition for a while."

Ichigo found he couldn't really stand, but managed to pull himself over and eat.

OooOOooOO

The next day Akuma was standing in front of his brother with his sword on his shoulder. He had his usual grin on his face and a long black coat hanging off his shoulders. "You need to learn the nature of your powers, and how I use them differently from you."

The blond scowled and put up his fists. "Let's get this over with."

His brother frowned. "As much fun as that would be, you're here to learn something. You need to accept that you're going to get your ass kicked and pay attention. I won't be trying to kill you today, but...you will find out just how much you can live through. I suspect you'll be surprised."

"Pay attention to what?" grumbled Ichigo in irritation.

His brother seemed to vanish from in front of his eyes and appear in front of him in an instant. His eyes went wide and he tried to suck in a breath as his chest exploded with pain. Akuma had just speared his sword through his chest and had a focused frown on his face. "Sorry, that's the only hint you get." He lifted the blade up with his brother on it and whipped it around, throwing the blond off the end and sending him rolling across the ground.

Ichigo managed to stand and scowled as he staggered in place. "Bastard. I'll..."

Akuma slammed his foot into his face. "You'll what? Get me for this? I hope you do, that's the point after all."

What followed was a day Ichigo could only remember flashes of, and all of it painful.

OooOOooOO

They sat under the stars again and ate the same thing. Beans and rice, with a bit of green tea to wash it down. Their camp was minimal, a campfire, a few cooking utensils, and some bed rolls for sleeping. There was a tarp as well in case it rained, but they didn't have more than needed to get through their days.

Ichigo didn't bother talking, and neither did his brother. They ate, rested, and woke up the next day to continue. It went on for two more days before anything changed.

OooOOooOO

Ichigo was bloodied and haggard. Chunks of flesh hung from his body, he was bruised and battered, but still able to move and gasping in struggled breaths. His arm was up, and his brother's blade was stopped against his forearm.

Akuma chuckled and pulled the weapon back. "Good. Good. So, you've finally begun to figure it out have you?"

The blond stood upright and frowned at him. He was wearing a long white leather coat. His chest was bare, but his pants looked new and clean despite the fact that he was torn to ribbons and looked like a walking corpse. He fell to his knees and looked at his arms.

His brother frowned a little. "Pick another color. You look like a damn angel. I can understand you not wanting black since it's what I wear, but anything but white. Seriously."

Ichigo frowned at him and a bit of blood dripped from his forehead and onto his arm. It seemed to spread across the leather as the coat took the same hue. "What...what is this? Seems like an awful lot of trouble just for some new clothes."

Akuma chuckled. "Call it 'Demonic Armor' if you must call it something. You never noticed that I don't mess up my clothes before did you? You are such an unobservant idiot, I swear." He stood up and the clothes he'd been wearing when they arrived appeared as what he was wearing vanished off his body. "You never even noticed that I had the odd ability to just suddenly be wearing something different before, did you?"

Ichigo was wide eyed. "Huh? I noticed, I just didn't care. What's the big deal about this anyway? It's tougher I guess, but..."

"It's a form of transformation. Those aren't really clothes, but a barrier of a sort. Clothes is just an easy to understand appearance for it to take. It's your own power focused around you, and a side effect of that is your defense is much greater. However, it's also easier to use your power offensively. Those clothes don't just make you harder to hurt you know. They also make it easier to access your power, since they're basically a physical manifestation of your power. It's the first step in your training. Don't go thinking you're invincible. I could have cut your arm off if I'd wanted. That's enough for today though, you should rest up, and reflect on that. Next time you try to stop me that way I'm taking your hand off." Akuma turned away and started moving towards the camp again. He paused and turned around, throwing his sword like a spear. It pierced Ichigo through the chest and he stayed upright looking at his brother in shock. "Just to make sure you understand that I wasn't joking." He walked up, put his foot against the boy's chest, and drew it out. "When you wake up, drag your sorry ass to camp and get some rest. I'll have dinner waiting on you, but don't take too long or it'll get cold."

Ichigo slumped down face first into the grass and the world faded away again.

OooOOooOO

Over the next few days Akuma was even harder on him than before. Ichigo was getting a handle on his armor, keeping it on was getting easier. They had a tendency to vanish if he took too much abuse or lost his focus. He was able to keep them on longer and longer, and was keeping up with his brother. He came close to landing a few blows.

Whenever that happened, Akuma just laid it on thicker, attacked harder, and got faster. He was always just out of reach, and it was frustrating. Not that it mattered a lot. He went to bed cut to shit again, but his wounds weren't as deep. His brother wasn't being any gentler with him at all, but his demonic armor did help to keep him from getting totally ripped apart. He was waking up feeling better, but still didn't get what he was supposed to accomplish beyond what he already had.

OooOOooOO

It was day ten of the training.

Ichigo stood in the field and frowned at his brother.

Akuma had his normal grin on and his sword appeared in his hand. It was crackling with energy as it usually did when it first appeared. Ichigo had recently noticed it, but little tendrils of power crawled up and down the blade when it was summoned, usually arcing over Akuma's body when he grabbed it. It was easy to miss and he would have if he hadn't been paying rapt attention. "Today, something a little different."

Ichigo cracked his neck, ready for another day of punishment. "Yeah? What's that?"

His twin pointed his sword at him. "Today, I'm going to stop playing around. We've been here ten days now, and as I predicted you're too thick to realize what this is about."

"What? Are you actually going to explain something?" said Ichigo in confusion.

The white haired boy shook his head. "No. Today, I'm going to try and kill you."

"Huh?" said the blond as he gasped.

Akuma blurred and appeared at his side. He ducked and rolled aside as his twin slashed at him. "I suggest you figure this out, time is up, Ichikun."

Ichigo dove and rolled aside, getting gashes and small nicks as he barely avoided his brother's strikes. Akuma wasn't going all out, but he wasn't aiming to injure him either. He'd made attempts at his head and limbs. Ichigo managed to escape any lasting damage, but was beaten and hacked around.

"Crap!" snarled the blond as he flipped out of the way as his brother lunged and stabbed at him. They were moving close to the woods, and Akuma wasn't letting up. He stayed right with him, keeping him off balance and within range of his weapon.

They moved between the trees and things got a little easier on Ichigo. He managed to use the woods to deflect the blade and evade a little easier.

Akuma left large gashes in the trees as he followed after him and cleaved into thick tree trunks and through branches as he pressed his attack.

Ichigo ran up the side of a large tree as his brother slashed at him, cutting clean through the trunk. "Oh shit." The tree toppled and he landed rolling aside to keep from getting crushed and pelted with the branches. He tried to shift out of the way, but the tail of his coat was under the tree and he jerked back.

"I have you!" snarled Akuma as he jumped into the air and hacked down at his brother.

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut and raised his arms to defend himself. He gasped as an unfamiliar sound echoed through the woods. The clash of metal against metal. "What?"

Akuma started laughing and stepped back. He put his sword behind his back and clapped in a slow and deliberate manner. "Well, congratulations. I was hoping I wouldn't have to take things this far, but it finally got through your skull."

The blond looked at what was in his hands with wide eyes. It was a large silver sword. The blade was single edged and curved, with a fanged skull on biting onto the bottom of the blade where it met the hilt. It was just as long as his brother's weapon, and about as thick, with a polished silver blade that he could see his own reflection in. "What? What is this?" He stood up and stared at the weapon in his hands. It was coursing with power and energy, flowing into his body and out of it as if it was a part of him.

Akuma leaned against a nearby tree with his arms crossed. "That, Ichikun, is the key to your true power. It's your Devil Arm."

"My...Devil Arm?" He looked confused and stared at himself in the edge.

His brother nodded. "That's right. Just as Yamata no Orochi is to Kusinagi, so are you to that weapon. It's not just a sword, it's your spirit, your energy, the key to unlocking the power within your soul."

Ichigo gripped the handle a little tighter. The power grew more intense and he got a dark look in his eyes. "It's...strong."

The white haired boy gave a snort. "Is it now?"

"I've never felt anything like it," replied his twin as he glared at it with a greed in his eyes.

"Like that do you?" Akuma seemed amused. "You should give it a name. Something to reflect what it is, what's in you."

Ichigo pulled his eyes away from his new weapon. "A...name?"

"Named swords are easier to connect with. That weapon is yours, so you must name it. Though, I think it has some say in the matter."

"It...talks?" muttered Ichigo as he cocked his head.

Akuma shook his head. "Sort of. It's not a zanpakuto if that's what you mean."

That confused the blond even more. "Zanpakuto talk?"

"They have spirits residing within them. They form a symbiotic relationship with the shinigami that wield them. A partnership of sorts. That sword is different, it's the physical manifestation of your spirit, your will, your power. Devil Arms are similar I suppose, as they contain demon spirits, but it's more a master and slave relationship. They aren't partners or comrades. You shouldn't rely on them or trust in them too much. They'll do what they're supposed to, but they aren't interested in helping you if they don't have too." Akuma pushed off the tree and let his arms hang at his sides. "My sword is called Sesshou no Gihen."

Ichigo frowned and looked at his weapon. "A name huh? Something that suits it?" He lifted it up and looked into the reflection on the blade. It was about three inches wide and tapered into a curving point at the end. "Hankou. That's it's name." The weapon crackled with energy along the length of it.

Akuma smirked and turned away. "How fitting. Now, we're finished here. There's nothing more I can teach you in only four days. It's time to go home."

Ichigo looked surprised. "Huh? What, we're just leaving? I just figured this out and you want to go already?"

HIs brother glanced over his shoulder. "Want to try it out do you?"

"After the past ten days of getting cut to shreds by you? Of course!" He hefted the weapon and narrowed his eyes at his brother as he pointed it at him.

"You'll get the chance," replied Akuma as he started walking away. "For now, you need to let things settle for a bit. That weapon has been forged now, and you should remember that just as Yumatano Orochi became your slave, so can you become the slave of another by way of that sword. It's a double edged deal you see, that weapon is the key to your strength, and just as you are connected with it, so to is the serpent who now serves as your weapon."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and frowned at it. "I...see."

"It's spirit is in that blade. Devil Arms aren't that different from zanpakuto. You could say they are the demonic equivalent of the same thing. However, the rules governing them are much more dangerous. You'd have to willingly give yourself up to be used that way. Many demons would prefer it to being destroyed in a fight. Hoping to become free once again once the one who took them is destroyed. If you choose to do so to save your own skin, then the only way to be free again is for the one who defeated you to be destroyed. If the one who wields a Devil Arm becomes one themselves, then those they have taken as weapons remain trapped in that form as well."

Ichigo scowled at him. "I'd rather be destroyed."

Akuma shrugged. "That's easy enough to say. I'm not really sure what I'd do. I suppose it would depend on who or what it was really. In any case, you should settle down and reflect on this before you go challenging me. It won't end any differently just because you've got that pig sticker now. Surely you're not seriously thinking otherwise?"

His brother hung his head and growled. He knew damn well that his brother was still far beyond him. "Someday, I'm going to kick your ass."

"I look forward to it," replied Akuma with a smirk. "We're finished for now. Making that sword probably took more out of you than you notice. It wouldn't be much fun to slap you around right now. Besides, the energy needs to settle a bit. It's newly forged, and you should let it be for a few days before you try to use it." He paused and looked over his shoulder. "You can still beat Hollows with it. It won't destroy them or anything. You can even do Soul Burials if you feel like it. Though, it won't really cleanse them the way a zanpakuto would. It's a bit rougher and less pleasant for the soul, but it will do the job in a pinch. Don't go thinking you're a shinigami though. Now that you've made that weapon, you can never wield a zanpakuto again. Remember that."

Ichigo frowned at him and then looked down at his new sword. "Well, if it works the same I don't care. I'm through hunting Hollows, but I guess I'll still clean them up if I happen to find them."

"Well, don't expect me to stop you, but don't think the Shinigami will be appreciative of it either. They're rather selfish about their duty, just ask your Quincy friend." Akuma put his hands in his pockets and left him standing there. "Come on. We should clean up camp and head back. There's nothing else we can do. Four days isn't enough time to do anything useful with you so new to that weapon."

"What about Kusanagi?" muttered Ichigo.

"Yes, yes. You can have it back. It will still be useful to you. Devil Arms have some sort of special ability that it unique to each one. You'll figure out what yours does, but like I said, it needs to settle a bit first."

Ichigo followed after him. "So, what does yours do?"

"None of your business. I suggest when you figure yours out, you keep it to yourself." The white haired boy glanced over his shoulder. "You seem to have figured out how Kusanagi and Yata no Kagami pretty well."

"Still haven't figured out what that damn necklace does," grumbled the blond.

Akuma smirked. "It turns you into a cloud of mist for a few seconds at most. Only works once every thirty minutes or so. How the hell did you think you managed to dodge Byakuya's strike and that Menos when it tried to crush you anyway?"

Ichigo looked a bit embarrassed. "I wasn't sure."

They had reached the camp by that point and Akuma laid the weapons he'd collected on a log in front of him. Ichigo collected them and put them back on. They vanished after he did so with the exception of the necklace. It didn't look out of place and remained around his neck. He shoved the shotgun into his belt and it also vanished as his clothes became his normal attire again. He only had one good set of clothes left, the rest were bloodied and torn to shreds, including what he was wearing. "Great. I liked this shirt."

Akuma seemed amused. "One more thing. Call it a gift to commemorate you passing this training." He set two handguns down on the log in front of Ichigo. "They have a higher rate of fire, but won't do as much damage or cover as much area as that one in a single shot. They also have a better range, you've got to be pretty close for that shotgun of yours to do any good."

Ichigo picked them up and looked them over. Once again, it was a pair of toys, realistic models that shouldn't be able to fire. "I suppose I should thank you, but you did try to kill me, and you've been cutting me to shreds for almost two weeks, so I won't."

Akuma nodded and didn't seem to be paying attention as he started packing. "Noted. Change and help me with this so we can get out of here." It was still daylight and they had a bit of a walk ahead of them. They would be back before sundown though, but just barely.

The blond put the weapons away and did so. He felt better already knowing it was over with. Despite it all, he felt ready for what was ahead. Now, he only had to wait.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Final Vacation and the Gateway to Soul Society.

Note: Ichigo's sword name translates to 'Defiance/Insubordination' and Akuma's translates to 'Destruction [of life] of Deception'.


End file.
